Preserve The Historic Character Of Forest Hill

Save The E.W. Jackson House
We, the signers of this petition, are all residents of the historic Forest Hill section of Newark, New Jersey. We write to oppose the application submitted to the Landmarks Commission by Mr. Luis Osario to subdivide, redevelop, and build a new house at 198–202 Ballantine Parkway (Block 672, Lot 21).
Forest Hill is a community where neighbors know one another and care deeply about the appearance of our homes and character of our neighborhood. Since 1990, our neighborhood has been designated as the Forest Hill Historic District. This is not by accident. Many residents of the neighborhood fought for years to create our historic district, so that our homes can be preserved.
Immediately after purchasing his property 198–202 Ballantine Parkway in May 2019, Mr. Osario began making unauthorized changes to it. Mr. Osario never submitted an application to the Landmark Commission. Instead, he altered the historic character of his property without gaining the Commission’s necessary approval.
In April 2020, less than a year after Mr. Osario purchased his property and made these and other unauthored changes to it, he put it up for sale. However, the property did not sell, and now Mr. Osario wishes to subdivide the property so that he can make a profit from his investment. The subdivided lot and the new house he proposes will be an eyesore to our historic neighborhood.
Historic preservation ensures that the architecture and heritage of a community will not be destroyed. It provides a sense of place and continuity for those residents who cherish living in Newark and cherish our city’s history. Allowing 198-202 Ballantine to be subdivided does not further these goals.
No one in our neighborhood considers Mr. Osario to be a “neighbor” in the true sense of that word. Rather, Mr. Osorio is a developer who buys properties in our neighborhood and sells them for a profit.
For these reasons, and for many others, we oppose the application to subdivide and build a new house at 198–202 Ballantine Parkway, and we will do everything in our power to keep this project from moving forward.