Kaplan seeks townhomes for final LaMer sections Builder's proposal would change character of 399 housing units BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - The developer of the LaMer community has some changes in mind for the development's final phases. Michael Kaplan, the former president of Kaplan Cos., told the Planning Board about the firm's proposed changes during an informal hearing recently. The board will vote on an amended final site plan for LaMer's fifth and sixth phases when Kaplan returns for a formal hearing next year. The first four phases of the development, off Ernston Road, are already built and occupied. Kaplan said the changes are in "building typology." The previously approved plan included multifamily flats in fourstory buildings, each of which would have 20 to 40 units. Now, instead of flats, he is proposing townhouses because, he noted, these appeal to a wider range of buyers. The developer said the changes would make the project more cost-effective and better suited for the site. Kaplan said the changes amount to the same overall density as the previously approved plan, with 273 units in phase five and 186 units planned in phase six. "The number of units is the same," Kaplan said. The plan includes 157 three-bedroom units, 242 two-bedroom units and 60 onebedroom units. The project is well under the maximum of 482 units Kaplan is allowed to build. Some of the housing will have street parking available. The developer is required to provide 537 parking spaces for section five, though Kaplan said he is providing 603. For section six, the developer is required to construct 391 parking spaces and would provide 493 in the amended plan. This amounts to two parking spaces per unit. An alley in the back of the properties will provide residents with individual garage parking, Kaplan said. Since each unit will have a garage in the back, the community's streetscape will look nicer, he added. The front of the buildings will be three stories high, rather than four, Kaplan said. The changes will save the developer $70 to $100 per square foot, he said. Kaplan said the company has been working on this project for more than 20 years, and it is time to complete it. He noted that he does not relish going through the approval process again. "The old buildings were beautiful buildings, but times have changed," Kaplan said. "We have to move forward." Construction on the currently approved plan could not be started until 2009, Kaplan said, but the amended version could be started as soon as the required approvals are granted. "Sayreville has been good to me," Kaplan said. "It's a prime location." Planning Board Chairman Dr. John Misiewicz voiced his support of the amended plan. "I agree with Mr. Kaplan," Misiewicz said. "He's been relatively good to the board. He's been cooperative. To keep him hanging another five to 10 years, I think it is unconscionable on our part." Board Vice Chairman Thomas Tighe said the project needs to be completed, and that Kaplan has met the board's requirements. "You've done your due diligence," Tighe told the developer. Planning Board member Frank Bella said he feels the number of units is high. "LaMer to me is just too intense," Bella said, adding, however, "I understand Mr. Kaplan's predicament." Tighe noted that Kaplan has the legal right to build that number of units, and said the builder has returned to the board because the market changed, so the concept was adjusted accordingly. "He's going to build the units," Tighe said. Board member Allen Chodkiewicz said that the rear of the buildings is high, at four stories, and that he agrees with Bella about the number of units. "I think it's very, very dense," Chodkiewicz said. Bella said he prefers the approved plan over the amended proposal. "It looks like Brooklyn to me," Bella said. "… It's become very urbanized." Kaplan responded, "Brooklyn wishes it looked like this." Misiewicz said the number of units and density of the site stems from a court order settlement dating back many years. "We have to be realistic with this," the chairman said.