From the Jersey Journal:
Bayonne’s city administration is drafting a new law aimed at rescuing its classic Victorian-style homes – and other one-families – from developers looking to replace them with multi-family construction.
“We’re trying to maintain the character of our community, such as those neighborhoods with houses on big lots where, given the value of the property, a lot of developers are buying the land, tearing down the existing homes and building two-family homes on the lot,” Mayor Joseph V. Doria said.
To make it harder for developers to swing the wrecking ball, Doria said he’s asked City Law Director John Coffey II and City Planner John Fussa, in concert with the city Historic Preservation Commission, to draft an ordinance “that will set up a procedure to review demolition permits” for these types of projects.
“We’ve definitely seen accelerating trends involving tear-downs of residential structures on one lot, so we’re losing a lot of the city’s older housing stock to multi-family development,” Fussa said. “And that can affect the quality of life in those neighborhoods, so there’s been increasing concern and it’s emerging as an issue as the city considers updating its master plan.”