A revised plan for a controversial hotel proposed for the old Capital One Bank site on Newark Avenue goes before the Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustments Thursday. The plan has generated opposition from community groups but appears to be supported some nearby businesses.The ZBA will have to address the height, requiring a significant variance because of it being twice the legal requirement, along with a list of other variances needed by the applicant to move the project forward.Chuck Harrington, the applicant’s attorney, and the Saffron Condo Board, one of many organizations opposing the project, are expecting the application to be heard at the 6:30 p.m. meeting inside the City Hall Annex Building, 4 Jackson Square.The applicant is Frank Cretella, a prominent developer and owner of Landmark Hospitality. The hearing for his luxury hotel at 201 Newark Ave. had been rescheduled a few times. But it is now back on Thursday’s agenda.The nine stories and 72 rooms add up to nearly 120 feet in height¸ what’s among the lead concerns because only 64 feet is allowed there. Old plans previously put the hotel at approximately 108 feet. A restaurant is part of the design too.The old Capital One Bank building at 201 Newark Ave. (Credit: Andy Milone)While there are a list of organizations and people against the project because of the height and density, some in the business community have expressed excitement for the possibility in the week leading up to the hearing.“It’s a very good idea. It will make downtown Jersey City a bit busier,” said Ola Ojo, a stylist at a local barbershop. “Some people might spend two to three days here instead of a few hours.”He feels one has to travel outside the Newark Avenue corridor to find a “good motel.” The stylist also feels tall buildings can help “beautify” an area.Amanda Atkinson, who owns Consigned Designs, 197 Newark Ave., is an “100% supporter” of the project. She feels it will be a “boost” to the downtown and will help spark a “clean up.”Atkinson noted having “amicable” conversations with those against the project: “They’re not aggressively pushing their opinions onto us.”Sam, another nearby business owner who asked for his last name to be excluded, advocates for “letting them be.”“It’ll bring value and traffic,” he said, “They’ll get out and spend money, maybe buy a cup of coffee.”He pushed back on any “harm” some felt such a proposal would cause. For example, the additional cars “will not make any difference” when it comes to the city’s overall congestion. On the height issue, he urged people to ask: “What are you really blocking?”His answer was the “ugly back of another building.”The Saffron Condo Board has come out against the project alongside Councilman James Solomon, the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association, Harsimus Cove Neighborhood Association, Van Vorst Neighborhood Association, Village Neighborhood Association, Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association and Paulus Hook Neighborhood Association.“They have attempted to placate one concern at the expense of another,” said Gabby Feliu, a Saffron board member, about the recent changes to the plan.  Saffron believes the applicant shifted the hotel’s building mass and increased its height to try and maintain more of the natural light shining onto the condo property at 217 Newark Ave.Feliu also objected to the building’s encroachment on the public right of way and feels some vehicles will have challenges maneuvering. He called the plan an “egregious attempt to take advantage of the neighborhood.”“Legally, if the board follows the law, I don’t see how they could approve this application,” added Anne Studholme, an attorney representing the condo board.Harrington declined comment. Attempts to reach Cretella were unsuccessful.The post Controversial Newark Avenue Hotel Proposal Goes Before ZBA Thursday appeared first on Jersey City Times.