Board of Education Presents Concept Plan to Convert 5 High Street Bank Building Into School for 160 Students

The Glen Ridge Board of Education brought its capital project for 5 High Street -- commonly known as the Glen Ridge Central School site, currently used as a bank and private offices -- before the Planning Board on December 21, 2016 for the review required under the Municipal Land Use Law whenever public building funds are involved. Principal architect Patrick Seiwell of the Design Resource Group presented a concept plan to acquire and renovate the building to house approximately 160 students and ten teachers, including demolishing the bank's drive-up canopy and replacing windows; exterior changes would still need separate Historic Preservation Commission review. Seiwell described the proposed playground location, traffic flow, lighting and interior floor plans, while cautioning that the design remains conceptual and subject to New Jersey Department of Education approval as it develops.

After board members questioned the architect on traffic, loading and playground siting, the Planning Board unanimously adopted five recommendations for the Board of Education to consider as the design progresses: minimizing vehicle/pedestrian conflicts on site, studying how off-site traffic will interact with student drop-off, reviewing on-site ingress and egress against surrounding traffic patterns, further studying how the interior layout interfaces with exterior uses, and examining alternative playground locations away from high-traffic areas. No members of the public commented.