A professional planning firm was approved by the Montclair Council to provide consulting services regarding the proposed redevelopment of properties on Valley Road, Bloomfield Avenue, Orange Road and Church Street at Tuesday’s meeting. These are also known as the DCH Properties, and is where Montclair State University is looking to put off-campus housing.
Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. was approved by the council to provide professional planning and consulting services at a cost not to exceed $31,500.
According to Councilor Cary Africk, they will be working with the township to look at the impact that dorm buildings in the DCH properties could have on the town. “We are looking to see if this is what we want to do,” Africk said. “We need to see what services would be needed and the economic impact this will have on the town.”
About 100 MSU students currently live in Clifton at the La Quinta Inn hotel, next to Clifton Commons, where students often go for social events.
The firm will do studies and tests on the situation and report back with their findings. “We are going to see if [down town Montclair] can support 1,000 kids living there,” Africk said.
The Montclarion, Montclair State University’s student-run newspaper, reported in April that the school is also moving forward with their plans for off-campus housing in Montclair.

According to Don Cipullo, vice president for finance and treasurer [at Montclair State University], [Capstone Development Cooperation] is currently negotiating for locations in the Montclair Center located in the town of Montclair. “The Montclair Center design will call for two different buildings,” Cipullo said. “One on Bloomfield Avenue and one on Church Street.”

Continue reading this story here.
Also during the meeting, the planning board was asked to take a look at some of the DCH areas in need of rehabilitation. “The basis of this designation is the factual determination that a majority of the water and sewer infrastructure serving the area is at least 50 years old and in need of repair and substantial maintenance,” the meeting agenda stated.
The sewer lines are part of the infrastructure. “We need to see if it can support or work with the redevelopment, so it is also being looked at,” Africk said.