Manufacturing aesthetics, pollution and hours of operation were major issues addressed regarding the Clayton Block redevelopment plan during last night’s Bayonne City Council meeting.
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Consistencies and inconsistencies with the master plan led to a high-disapproval among Bayonne natives who challenged the company’s safety precautions for present and future residents.
Jonathan Guldin, an attorney from Clark Guldin representing Dermitt’s Concrete Corporation, specifically addressed how the planning board suggesting industrial use in Bayonne would cause inconsistency with the city’s redevelopment plans.
“…As [3rd Ward] Councilman [Gary] La Pelusa just pointed out in the last application, once you allow use for the concrete block and the concrete manufacturing, you’ve opened Pandora’s box,” said Guldin, representing Dermitt’s Concrete Corporation.
“They’re going to go to planning board and shoot at hours on aesthetics, but they’re going to allow the use for the Route 440 corridor, which has been transforming into retail and commercial uses and go backwards. You have a 2013 redevelopment plan adopted by the city after lacking outside professionals to do an analysis of this parcel and several others.”
La Pelusa previously spoke on the McDonald’s redevelopment plan, regarding how after the ordinance is passed through the council, the planning board can only tweak superficial aspects of the development.
Dawn Sysak, who previously attended the planning board meeting, mentioned the words “blight” and “eye-sore” were a consistent topic during the meeting.
“The word blight comes up constantly in your repertoire of language. Eye sores, comes up constantly in your repertoire of language. I am very concerned about a cement making industry,” said Sysak, who felt misinformed by the planning board.
While the 60-year-old company is a concrete masonry of manufacturing and not a hazardous cement company of wet concrete and mortar, Gordon Milnes, director of Engineering and Planning from Clayton Block Co., reassured the public the company purely manufactures concrete blocks for the construction industry.
“We will not be proposing a cement plan. I understand why people this cement and concrete are the same thing—they are not. We are not a cement manufacturer,” said Milnes.
The council voted unanimously to table the measure, 0-4, with Council President Sharon Nadrowski absent.
