The zoning board needs to embrace smaller to no parking minimums! Especially with my generation, given that car ownership/use is trending towards a decline. American cities need to be more progressive and rethink what they’d rather prioritize moving forward, post pandemic… Privately owned cars? …Or people? C’mon!

I don't understand how it's considered 'cramming residents'. Quality of life was unbearable b/c of overcrowding? Yeah, no. I remember 80's and 90's Newark, overcrowding was way down on the list versus just rampant crime in general.

Unfortunately the area, while better than the 90's, won't improve if things aren't built. The city can embrace its density and it doesn't have to be a bad thing. The 90's are over. One parking space for every unit means the zoning needs a lot more work.

It would be a better option really hopefully that abandoned apartment building further up MLK gets reused.

🤦🏾‍♂️

In all my years, I have never set foot inside the riviera

But the stories I’ve heard let’s me know that whatever this plan is would’ve been way better

I thought they was already apartments

Smh this mad funny cuz who tf stays here. 60 units would Atleast make it a 600sqft apt.

The only reason this was denied is because someone is getting paid to keep things as is. It’s always about greed.

What a dumb, dumb, dumb decision.

Hopefully an appeal is possible, because this is dumb.

If this decision happened in an affluent suburb, I would strongly disagree with it and think it was noxious but understand the underlying motivation. But here in Newark? Absurd to the nth degree. Newark’s population hit its peak in the 1930s and fell to its nadir in the 1990s. What possibly could be the interest in putting restrictions on someone interested in investing in that neighborhood? It would be a little like preventing someone from making food donations from Walmart, arguing it had to be from Whole Foods.

Lmao why

I’m all for progress, but at the same time Newark does a pretty crappy job of preserving its history. For a city that was founded in 1666, there are very few historical sites.

That hotel does have a history, both good and bad. A lot of famous black musicians stayed there when black broadway was in that area. It was also a crackhead and hooker spot.

I’m on the fence about converting it into apts, but I don’t think it can continue as a hotel, the history should be preserved somehow.