Above is a photograph of Nat Hyman's Water's Edge 94-unit apartment complex, located at 2025 Edgewood Avenue in Palmer Tp. In early June, zoners gave their blessing to a proposal to allow the former Crayola factory to be used instead for apartments. As you can see, Hyman has painted the building two different shades of blue. Windows that need to be replaced have been boarded up. He had a team of workers at the site as well, preparing the property with nonstructural studs so he could begin work once he received building permits. But as I explained to you on Monday and again yesterday, township apparatchiks have done their best to prevent Hyman from moving forward. They've sent peeping Toms to peering through windows, issued stop work orders and even executed a bizarre search warrant. They claimed they were responding to noise complaints from residents, even though there are none anywhere near this property. They unlawfully refused to issue a permit on the basis that he had to wait for a 30-day appeal period to expire even though he has every right to assume that risk. And as of yesterday, they now claim that it will take 30 business days (6 weeks) just to process his permit application.
About a mile away, you can see the vacant Dixie Cup factory, replete with broken windows. This project was approved in June 2024 for over 400 luxury apartments. The nonlocal developer, Brian Bartee of Skyline Investment Group, told both Wilson Borough and the School District that he would have units ready by April 2025 and be done by December. He's received $500,000 in RCAP funding and is seeking a $29 million tax break for the project. The only reason he doesn't have it yet is because NorCo Council is hesitating. But since the county's portion of the tax break is relatively small, he could possibly have moved ahead without it.
Instead of building anything, he's had a fire on the property. Get this, he's "finalizing plans" to fix windows, which should have been a top priority to abate an attractive nuisance. Now he's saying the project will be done by 2027.
In Palmer, a developer is doing everything he can to redevelop an old factory into workforce housing, a public good. He is being hamstrung by officious bureaucrats.
In Wilson, public officials are falling over each other to hand out millions of your money so a nonlocal developer can build luxury apartments that most of us would be unable to afford. And the damn windows are still broken.
22 comments:
Either antisemitism or the township manager is a jerk, perhaps on the take
Will we see Jef 'just do Dixie' Warren at Hymans site with the press saying let's get it done for people who can't afford $2000 a month rent. Or will he mind his handlers' instructions and just attack Mr. Hyman behind his back again?
Another day, another Bernie advertisement for a local slumloard. What is your obsession with these $2,000+ plus micro studio apartments?
Joey Reibman should sell Dixie to Hyman. Problem solved !
The is the difference between a developer who knows what he is doing, Nat Hyman, and one who doesn’t , Brian Bartee. Yet, as you point out , Wilson in their infinite wisdom gave Bartee $29m while Hyman asked for nothing. Wilson should be embarrassed and hold on to their money while they can.
Wilson Borough is getting legal advice from a meth head both figuratively and in all reality.
A failure on both sad
Fire ? Nate had a fire in Allentown about 2 minutes before for construction was set to begin. It was blamed on a homeless person just like the fire at Dixie. They caught the Dixie homeless person. I don’t think they ever got the one that started Nate’s fire.
Both Townships are dumb and show why government is so ineffective . Wilson just gave up taxes on that property for at least a decade to a total unknown. Likely a guy who can’t complete the project. Palmer on the other hand is making things hard for a prove developer. I guess if these people were smart they wouldn’t be doing the jobs they are doing.
If you read it in context , Mr. Hyman said the 2 bedrooms could go up to $2,000. But he wasn’t allowed to build 2 bedroom units, only studios. He was recently quoted in MCall as saying the studios at Crayola will range for $1,100 to $1,300
That guy at Dixie will take their money and run and Wilson will be right back where they are now. With a huge eyesore
So, who is this Dixie homless person who was caught? Inquiring minds, including the Wilson Fire Chief and Wilson Police would like to know too.
Studio apartments out in the country is weird. These have worked for Hymen in Allentown, but it doesn’t attract a quality tenant. Plus Allentown zoning approves studios with very basic kitchen and bathroom requirements. Developers like studios because you don’t have the expense of devising floor plans with a bedroom defined by walls, closet and a window for ventilation. These buildings become longer term motels with short term tenants and long term problems for the neighborhoods. They work in Allentown because they are an improvement in that environment. I don’t see studios as an improvement in a more suburban setting.
Does this really fall back to a rumor that mixed race youths will infiltrate the Palmer sports programs?
Are saying that governments pick winners and losers and governs unfairly? What we need here is more government involvement to fix these inequities. I propose a study to determine if we need a study to fund a study.
From May 6 2025…
Given the $15 million price tag just to make the 102,000-square-foot building functional, Hyman said he still had substantial operational costs to bring his vision to reality.
He clarified the building was not "low-income" housing, which he defined as housing associated with Section 8 or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tenants subsidized by the government. Instead, Hyman said the project would offer Palmer Township "affordable housing," where the annual rent is less than one-third of the mean income for that area.
When asked how much the units would garner in monthly rent, Hyman said "at least $2,000 per month," but likely more.
CRY----CRY----CRY Bernie, nothing else to talk about
Stop all projects in Wilson then let the School District and Borough raise taxes and watch the people scream
REMEMBER STOP THE WAREHOUSE--That stops all revenue for the Borough and School District RAISE MY TAXES I DON'T CARE
The only reason Dixie is getting the TIF is because Lamont is pandering to the unions for his run for Congress. He keeps saying it will create jobs but construction jobs are very short lived
10:18 I totally disagree. Young professionals in our area will love studio apartments on the beautiful Bushkill creek which are close to 22 & 33
Whatever Hyman charges it will be a hell of a lot less than Bartee at Dixie. He said he’s spending $150,000,000 for 400 apartments. That’s $375,000 per apartment ! You can buy a beautiful home for that ! I’m no real estate expert but I don’t see how those numbers ever work! Maybe he just takes the $29m from Wilson and runs.
The TRUTH more broken windows and a bigger eyesore than it is now
Wrong people talking to Brian Bartee apparently
Dunce, by granting the TIF the school district and Wilson Borough have given up getting any taxes on the building for 20 years!!! So they have painted themselves into a corner where they HAVE TO raise your taxes !
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