STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY JOHNSON

Mike Lipscomb, owner of ML Realty Group Inc., speaks to people gathered for a groundbreaking of Shiloh at West 7th Street in Plainfield on Thursday. 7-20-06

PLAINFIELD -- Officials are praising the approval of six, single-family luxury houses in the city's West End -- a project officials are calling the first major subdivision of upscale housing the city has seen in almost a half century.

The development, named Shiloh at West 7th Street, received final approval last week after six years of uncertainty surrounding the fate of the project's site -- a 1.3-acre lot at 1045 West 7th St. once home to an abandoned, seven-family house and carriage home.

Those buildings have since been razed and the property cleared, with construction on the six-unit subdivision slated to begin in the coming weeks by Panjaur Builders of Jersey City. Referred to as "the kind of thing" she would like to see more of in Plainfield, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs touted the development as a step toward the city's revitalization. "What this represents is six families who will realize the American dream of home ownership," Robinson-Briggs said. "I'm very happy to see this moving forward."

When the development is complete, six four-bedroom, Colonial-style houses will occupy the property, each with two and a half bathrooms and a two-car attached garage.

According to Mike Lipscomb, owner of ML Realty Group Inc. of Scotch Plains, the real estate firm marketing the development, each unit in the development will be from 2,600 to 3,200 square feet, with prices starting at $449,900.

In total, the development is expected to generate between $75,000 and $100,000 in property taxes for the city.

"The idea is bringing in quality people to Plainfield, as well as helping the tax base of Plainfield," said Lipscomb. "This development is a good start."

Although the development's units will be considerably more expensive than most residences in Plainfield -- where the average house is assessed at around $140,000 -- Lipscomb said he feels there is a market in the city for higher-end housing.

"We feel there is a strong market for this type of housing in Plainfield and that the units are priced accordingly," Lipscomb said. "Houses like this go for $600,000 in places like South Plainfield and Edison."

Before International developer MiCasa Group purchased the West Seventh Street property for $350,000 in 2004, the lot was owned by Shiloh Baptist Church, which bought the site in 2000 with the intention of constructing a new church because of space constraints at its West Fourth Street location.

But Rev. Gerald Lamont Thomas of Shiloh Baptist Church said the West Seventh Street property could not support a church and parking lot large enough to meet the congregation's needs, and the church eventually abandoned its plan in 2002.

While church officials were initially disappointed the property could not be used for a new church, Thomas said the sale of the lot to MiCasa Group "doubled" the church's investment in the site.

The profit, Thomas said, was used toward construction of Shiloh Baptist's new 69,000-square-foot church located on the same West Fourth Street lot the congregation hadoccupied.

"This opportunity didn't work for us, but it will work for the city and in the end, it gave us the opportunity to gain additional finances for our new church," Thomas said. "I believe God wanted us to stay where we are and I'll get to see some quality housing go up too, and I feel really good about that."

Lipscomb said that because Shiloh Baptist Church was selective in choosing a buyer for the lot -- favoring MiCasa Group's vision for the property -- MiCasa agreed to name the development after the church and has applied to the city to name the development's access road Shiloh Court.

Lipscomb said he anticipates the development's show house -- the most expensive of the six units at $550,000 -- will be completed by the end of November. Construction on the development's remaining units will continue at customers' requests, Lipscomb said, with a goal of having the entire development completed by Spring of 2007.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Single-family houses a major development PLAINFIELD: Continuing a recent uptick in the number of residential developments in Plainfield, ground was broken on six homes that will rise on the west end.

Construction of the Colonial-style houses represents the first major single-family development in Plainfield in decades. The homes will be built on 1.3 acres at 1045 W. Seventh St.

Plans call for each unit to have four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, ranging in size from 2,600 to 3,200 square feet. Every home will have a two-car attached garage and prices will start at $449,000. Construction will begin at the end of the month.

The development, officially called Shiloh at West 7th St., is a joint venture between MiCasa Group, Panjaur Builders and ML Realty Group, Inc.

The July 20 official groundbreaking attracted Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and Assemblyman Jerry Green, who lauded the project. The development's show house will be the largest and sell for $550,000, officials said. Construction on that unit is scheduled to be completed by November, with the rest of the homes built by next spring.

Recently, developers have put forth several plans for residential constructions in Plainfield, including a 64-unit apartment building along South Avenue and a 63-unit building on East Front Street, which would rise over a new senior center. Habitat for Humanity will also build a new home in the city.