Belleville Board OKs Plan To Raze Gas Station, Build Apartments

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A plan to build a five-story building with dozens of apartments near the corner of Washington Avenue and Greylock Parkway in Belleville recently got a green light from the local planning board.

The board voted to approve a site plan for 605-609 Washington Avenue at their meeting on June 27.

The applicant, Belleville Operating Inc., plans to demolish the existing one-story masonry building (which is home to a gas station) on Lot 9, as well as a nearby one-story residential frame structure on Lot 10 (174 Greylock Parkway). The building that will go up in their place will have about 1,921 square feet of retail/commercial space, in addition to 51 units of housing (14 two-bedroom units and 37 one-bedroom units).

The board voted in favor of the plan despite some concerns from two of its members and some local residents, including questions about the number and location of parking spaces.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection lists 605 Washington Avenue as an “active site with confirmed contamination” in its online database.

According to the project’s architect and planner, the gas station will be closed and the site needs to be remediated, possibly by the second or third quarter of 2025. Construction is expected to start immediately afterwards.

Some amenities planned for the building include storage spaces for tenants, a children’s playroom, a shared business center/workspace, a club room and a rooftop deck.

The planning board and town council designated the property as an “area in need of redevelopment” in 2022.

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