Kaplan seeks to change LaMer's final sections Board concerned about proposed increase in 3-bedroom units BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - A changing marketplace has prompted developer Kaplan Cos. to ask the borough for permission to change its approved plans for both the LaMer and Towne Lake developments. Michael Kaplan, former president of Kaplan Cos., returned to the Planning Board last week for the second time this month seeking to change an approved plan, in this case the final two sections of LaMer, located off Ernston Road. Two weeks earlier, Kaplan asked the board for a reduction in the number of units to be built in the senior community, Heritage at Towne Lake. Both Towne Lake and LaMer were previously approved by the board, so the builder needs board approval to change the plans. Kaplan noted at both Planning Board meetings this month that, while it is expensive for his firm to seek new approvals, it is necessary in light of the changing market conditions. During last week's informal hearing, Kaplan told the board he wanted to increase the number of three-bedroom and one-bedroom units in the plan and decrease the number of two-bedroom units. Kaplan told the board that present market conditions are more competitive and call for a change to the approved plan for the two remaining sections of LaMer, known as sections five and six, which are approved to include 482 condominiums and townhouses, as well as recreation facilities. Kaplan said the company is in the process of having studies done for sections five and six, and are looking for alternatives to the approved plans. He said the economy of the nation, not just the state, is producing problems for potential home buyers. "The market today is probably one of the worst markets since 1990," Kaplan said. "[However,] it is still a market and it seems to accept townhouses." The firm, which is limited to building 482 units total in the two sections due to a court settlement, originally proposed 39 three-bedroom units, 442 two-bedroom units and one one-bedroom unit. The tentative new plan would include 157 three-bedroom units, 242 two-bedroom units and 60 one-bedroom units. Several board members raised concerns about the number of three-bedroom units in the latest plan. The newer plan includes 118 more three-bedroom units than the approved plan. "That's a concern of ours," board member Michael Macagnone told Kaplan, "especially since [sections] five and six have already been approved." Though Jason Kaplan, Michael's son and the president of the Highland Park-based firm, noted that there is now only a difference of 13 bedrooms between the two plans, board member Frank Bella said the original plan had more open space and parking spaces due to the parking decks that were going to be built for residents. Bella said that while he does not doubt the quality of the product Kaplan will produce, he is concerned about the density of this development. "I understand that the number units and the densities are the same," but with aesthetics in mind, it appears to be more dense, Bella said. "I think that the original plan is the superior plan," he said. Michael Kaplan said the amount of open space is the same as the last plan the board approved. These final two sections, he added, are more open than the other areas of the development, he said, and the design of the new concept plan is more desirable in today's marketplace. "I love that product," Kaplan said of the approved plan, "but I can't sell it." The current economic trend downward is not temporary, Kaplan said. If it were, he would not request changes, he said. "We are in for a major recession," Kaplan said. Board member Allan Chokiewicz asked Kaplan about the purpose of the changes if there is only a small difference in the number of bedrooms. "I drive by it every day," Chokiewicz said. "You can't see through that development. It is very dense." "I would feel claustrophobic living there," he added. Kaplan downplayed the significance of the change in units, saying that the primary focus should be on the changes made to the overall site's basic design. He noted that part of the purpose of the changes is to provide a mixed range of products with varying costs for potential buyers. Jason Kaplan said each unit would likely have a garage with direct access to each home. He said plans for parking decks and elevators in the approved plan bring additional maintenance costs that are undesirable in the current marketplace. Board member Thomas Tighe agreed with fellow members on density issues in the new proposal. "You've always impressed me in the end," Tighe said, "but when you did the original plan, you were innovative. There is no way you can tell me those two pictures are the same with density. You are much more dense with [the new plan]." Councilwoman Kathy Makowski, who serves on the board, said she understands the company's business-related concerns, but the impact of the development on the school district would be significant. As presented, she estimated, the new plan could bring an additional 600 children into borough schools. Michael Kaplan disagreed, saying that the school district would feel less of an impact than board members fear. Board Engineer Jay Cornell later told the Suburban that Kaplan will have to prove to the board that the additional three-bedroom units will not bring a significant number of school-age children into the district when Kaplan brings the plan back for a formal hearing. He said that Kaplan has indicated he will address the board's concerns in the next proposal. Planning Board Chairman Dr. John Misiewicz described the new plan as over the top with regard to density. "I'm sorry, but I like the other plan much better," Misiewicz said. The attorney representing Kaplan Cos. thanked the board for the candid discussion and said the developer would take its recommendations and concerns under advisement. "We are basically in compliance with the nature of that job," Michael Kaplan told the Suburban. "There is no difference [from] the previous sections, it is just the product type that is different."