A proposal for a homeless veteran shelter were rejected by the Newark Central Planning Board.
The concept was on point: a shelter in Newark for homeless veterans.
But the location -- an oblong, three-story building in the Ironbound -- appears to have been the problem for the organization that would have run it, Independence: A Family of Services Inc.
After a three-hour meeting Monday night, the Central Planning Board voted, 8-0, to reject the application of the multiservice agency from Irvington that sought to house veterans in the building it owns on Van Buren and Elm streets.
Residents opposed to the plan cheered and loudly applauded the decision made in the municipal council chambers about 11:30 p.m.
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"You would have thought it was the World Cup,'' said Augusto Amador, an East Ward Councilman and planning board member who was against the proposal.
The defeat, he said, is not a repudiation of veterans. Amador said IFS has a good program, but its plan is "deficient'' and "lacked structure.''
He said the building is too small, parking for staff and visitors is scarce on crowded Ironbound streets, and community support for the project has been sorely lacking.
"If you want to provide service with dignity to these folks, you have to treat the veterans with respect and dignity and not cram them into a place like that,'' Amador said.
"The councilman is not an architect, not a planner,'' countered IFS President Margaret Woods.
He is also not objective about the plan, she added.
"He can't be impartial,'' said Woods, who wanted Amador to recuse himself from the meeting before it started. "He's made this part of his reelection campaign."
Amador refused the recusal request, saying he had the right as a councilman to express his views to oppose the project.
Woods said she was disappointed by the board's "ill-advised" decision for her project, which she said is a permitted use under the city's zoning ordinance and is in line with city's master plan to develop transitional housing for homeless veterans.
"It's unfortunate when the project is dedicated to veterans who put their lives on the line or their lives on hold to protect the freedoms that everybody enjoys, including the residents of the East Ward," Woods said.
Woods said her property is appropriate and large enough for the program, which would serve 40 veterans who would live in the facility 60 to 90 days and get help finding permanent housing. Under the plan, they would have received behavioral and mental health counseling and life skills to help them settle in the community and reconnect with family members.
A rooftop garden was planned for outdoor space, an idea that residents said was not big enough. Off-site, residents would be taken to the Veterans Affairs hospital in East Orange for other services.
She maintains that there's adequate parking based on a study from an engineer that IFS hired. The project, she said, has support from community members, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the Ironbound. The city's administration endorsed the program, too.
But after a 90-minute detailed presentation, the planning board was not convinced by the IFS.
The board then listened to residents, who have objected to the plan since they first heard about it in September. They've been consistent in their protests, airing concerns at two community meetings and again at the planning board meeting.
Questions they've had didn't go away: Will the facility be just for veterans? How could the parking study determine that there was ample space? What happens with the veterans if they are not placed in permanent housing in 60 to 90 days?
Residents have been concerned about veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome when there is a preschool across the street and East Side High School a few blocks away.
"It wasn't a suitable location for the veterans,'' said Paula Sociedade, a psychologist, who has a practice across the street. "They deserve better than what could be offered at that site.''
Paula Vieira, a resident, said IFS didn't earn the community's trust in a neighborhood of working-class families.
"We didn't get satisfactory answers,'' Vieira said. "You have to listen to the people and their concerns.''
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Amador said he is still willing to help IFS find a building in the Ironbound for veterans, even though earlier negotiations didn't work out with Woods. He had identified developers interested in purchasing the building and asked Woods to make an offer.
Based on a price analysis or property in the area, Woods said her building was worth $3.1 million, even though the assessed value is $900,000. Amador said that was too much, and he pulled back from helping IFS to relocate.
Veterans, however, deserve a home in the Ironbound and Amador said he'll reach out to Woods in writing offering his assistance again. Woods said she'll see if there's a letter in her mailbox when she returns from a business conference next week.
Despite the setback, Woods said her agency will regroup, but is not sure of its next move.
"I'm exploring options, but I'm not giving up on my commitment to service homeless veterans,'' Woods said.
One option is to appeal the board's decision in Superior Court and have a judge hear the case.
If that happens, Vieira said, residents will be there, too.
Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or
nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL
