SOUTH ORANGE — Seton Hall University has withdrawn its application for use and bulk variances, previously filed with the South Orange Zoning Board of Adjustment, for the Marylawn site in South Orange. The variances would have allowed SHU to buy and convert the Marylawn of the Oranges Academy and the Graves House into academic and administration buildings and to construct a 202-space parking lot. Seton Hall representatives and experts had already testified for approximately 16 hours before the board regarding the application on May 8, June 3, July 1 and Sept. 2.
“In a letter from the attorney representing Seton Hall on its application, Seton Hall formally withdrew the application pending before the Board of Adjustment,” village Administrator Barry Lewis Jr. told the News-Record last week via email.
A withdrawn application does not necessarily mark the end of Seton Hall’s interest in the Marylawn site; it may just mean that the university needs to drastically change its site plans, which would require it to reapply for variances. As of now, however, it is unclear what Seton Hall’s future plans are.
“I am not aware of any intention of SHU to submit a revised application, but would defer to SHU on that issue,” Lewis said.
When asked about the Marylawn application last week via email, Laurie Pine, a Seton Hall spokeswoman provided the following statement to the News-Record: “The university has withdrawn its application to the South Orange Zoning Board regarding the Marylawn property and has no further comment at this time.”
While SHU’s reasons for withdrawing the application are unknown, it is likely due to the university’s recent admission that, while it had been planning to renovate the historic Graves House, formerly a convent for the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth of New Jersey, a recent cost estimate made it clear that renovation costs are more than the university could afford.
Kevin Coakley of Connell Foley LLP, an attorney for Seton Hall, had stressed at the first three zoning board meetings that the plans for the Graves House did not include tearing down the building, but that plans could change.
Coakley told the board on Sept. 2 that SHU had recently hired an architect and an engineer to provide a cost estimate for renovating the Graves House, and that such a renovation seemed to be out of the question. According to Coakley, the $6 million estimate was causing the university to rethink its previous position. The university has tentatively decided to abandon plans to fully renovate the Graves House, but has not yet decided to tear it down, Coakley said.
“The reports have come back and are indicative of an extremely high cost that is many times what the value of that space might be,” Coakley said. “With that information in hand, we provided that information to the board that we thought that the cost of rehabilitating the Graves House was beyond the utility of the Graves House, and said that we needed to rethink our position of restoring it in that fashion.”