Agency hears progress reports on 223 O'Connor, civic center rebuild and student housing review

Agency members provided a series of brief construction and project updates during the May 15 meeting.

Members said work at 223 O’Connor is progressing and that the building has reached two floors of wood framing and other activity at the lower levels. Separately, wood materials for the civic center arrived and crews plan to restart reconstruction the Monday following the meeting, with agency members hopeful the civic center work will finish in roughly two weeks.

The agency also reported that a student-housing proposal on the parcel across from 61 Avenue (near Starbucks) is still under review by the planning board and Colliers Engineering is reviewing the application. One member said the agency had met with county officials and neighborhood stakeholders and that the county had expressed support for a negotiated approach; the application remains under technical review.

Agency members said these project updates are positive signs of local construction activity and that progress on the civic center will restore a community facility the borough has been without. No formal actions or votes were taken on these project updates at the May 15 meeting.