IRVINGTON, NJ — Local developer and International House of Pancakes restaurant owner Adenah Bayoh was one of the award recipients at Mayor Tony Vauss’ fourth annual State of the Township Address at Christian Pentecostal Church on Friday, Feb. 23, and she used her acceptance speech to give an update on her biggest development to date: the Hilltop Project.
“On Monday, we opened up Irvington General Hospital. But it’s no longer called ‘Irvington General Hospital.’ It’s called ‘280 Park Place,’” said Bayoh on Friday, Feb. 23, after she was introduced and presented with a community leadership award by at large Councilwoman and Municipal Council Vice President Renee Burgess. “But I cannot stand here today and take all of the credit for that. I want to thank everyone in the township for putting up with me. It’s not easy. I do want to thank Musa Malik, your team, the mayor.”
Bayoh said the Hilltop Project was transformed into the 280 Park Place apartment complex was the result of a team effort.
“I mean, it was a heavy lift to open 114 apartments. We did that construction in 15 months. That is unheard of,” Bayoh stated. “We started off with (East Orange Mayor) Ted Green. Ted, you set me up really nicely. You left it in proper hands. But not just that … when I do call Tony, I am grateful. I am so grateful that you share the same passion for this township that I do. I am grateful to have a partnership in you, that I know we can shape Irvington in a vision that this township is really, truly meant to be.”
Although Bayoh had business partners in the Hilltop Project who helped her obtain the funding and permits needed to purchase and redevelop the old Irvington General Hospital site, she said their collective partnership with Irvington that began during Mayor Wayne Smith’s administration and continued with the Vauss administration is priceless and will continue to generate progress and positive dividends for the community.
“I am game, I am open, I am here to do anything I can to make sure that Irvington stay up to its truest potential and that is the most bustling, most friendliest township in New Jersey,” Bayoh said. “Thank you. I’m honored to be up here today. Thank you so much.”
Vauss couldn’t resist responding to Bayoh’s remarks.
“Let me just put that in context for you, because she owns 280 Park Place. She owns the IHOP in Irvington. She owns the IHOP in Newark. She’s got one in Paterson and she’s got one in New York, too. So if you go to IHOP, you’re probably paying her, because she owns them all,” said Vauss on Friday, Feb. 23. “She also owns the new Cornbread restaurant in Maplewood. So let’s give her another round of applause.”
“Most people don’t understand, Adenah, that it was hard getting that project together at 280 Park Place,” Vauss said. “We had problems with the state and things we needed to get from down in Trenton and I want all of the Irvington residents to know that, when we had a problem, I made a call to (County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.), who set up a meeting two days later in Trenton and demanded that they give Irvington what Irvington needs. So I just want to publicly thank you, Joe, because, without you, we would not have the project. And we rode down there together, myself and Adenah, and we witnessed (DiVincenzo) yell and scream at the people in the Governor’s Office, until they finally gave Irvington what Irvington needed.”
On Monday, May 18, 2015, Vauss and Bayoh joined her Hilltop Project Group partners, Patrick Terborg, the managing member of Kapwood LLC of Summit; Matthew Gross, the director of Development for Urban Builders Collaborative LLC Real Estate Development; and Lettire Construction of New York, at the ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking ceremony at the 6.5-acre site of the old Irvington General Hospital facility on Chancellor Avenue. It sits directly across the street from Chancellor Avenue Elementary School and, at the time, everyone involved said the new mixed-use residential and retail space project would be a boon to Irvington.
Vauss and Bayoh said the Hilltop Project master plan consists of a new construction that includes a mixed-use, mixed-income development with 704 apartments and approximately 15,000-square-feet of commercial space. They said the buildings would incorporate sustainable design, utilizing energy star appliances and energy efficient systems, “creating an environmentally friendly community.”
According to the developers, all the apartments in the Hilltop Project will feature high quality design, amenities and finishes. They said each multifamily building is expected to include a fitness center, fully furnished resident lounge, computer and media center and green roofs with passive heating.
Parking will be phased in to accommodate both residents and visitors of the building. The developers said the commercial component would complement the residential buildings, with proposed uses such as a day care center and restaurant.
“I love Irvington, I love Irvington,” Bayoh said. “I said in my next life I want to marry someone that loves me just as much as Tony loves Irvington and Irvington loves Tony. I get to say that because I know this guy; we came up together.”
Bayoh said she’s not ashamed to say she has had a lifelong love affair with Irvington and strives to be a positive role model to others.
“Before I say anything, my name can never, ever be said without the township of Irvington being mentioned,” said Bayoh. “I am a product of urban America. I am a product of Newark. I am a product of Irvington and I could not be more proud to stand here today to be honored by the people that I love. I do this for my community. I do this for every young girl and any young girl coming up that wants to have an impact in her community. I do it for them to have a vision of what that looks like.”
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