Camino's Quest for Plainfield

When developer Mario Camino asked downtown merchants what they need most to succeed, the answer from many was "parking."

With plans to convert a former Park Avenue bank building to residential and office use, Camino foresaw the same problem for himself. His proposed solution? A six-story deck on what is now a city lot, yielding nearly six times the number of parking spaces. The 150,000-square foot structure would cost about $52 per square foot for Lego-like prefabricated construction and could be funded partially through a parking authority that would have the power to issue bonds for the project.

Parking deck as viewed from North Avenue train station
Since deciding to focus on development in Plainfield, Camino has delved into reasons why it has stalled in recent years and is schooling himself and his team on how to navigate the land use boards that will govern his plans. He and partner Daniel Rivera have their sights on a bright future for the city and are taking the new Raritan Valley Line "one-seat" ride to Manhattan as a positive sign.

"The timing is right," Rivera said Tuesday as he and Camino discussed their plans with Plaintalker.

The conversation slipped from an interview to a general chat about Plainfield and Camino's many innovative ideas. For one, he would like to buy up the whole block where his building stands at 107 Park Avenue, in order to bring about a coherent approach to revitalizing the downtown. The East Front Street side, between Park and Watchung  avenues, is the core of the downtown business district. He expects to attract investors and create a broad-based buy-in of his plans through a web site, www.queencityrevival.com

Camino will use all aspects of social media to advance his goals, including crowd-funding.

Camino said he will use gofundme to raise a match for his personal outlay to restore "The Queen's Courtyard" behind the former bank building. An amenity created by Queen City Savings, the landscaped passageway from Municipal Parking Lot 6 to East Front Street that was badly damaged in Hurricane Sandy.

Up until recently, Camino's Arkad Group Real Estate Corporation has focused on residential property, but its Facebook page now includes his commercial plans for Plainfield. He invites investors through http://www.arkadgroupinvestments.com/ and also has a personal Facebook page replete with motivational sayings and cheery messages from his supporters.

Camino and Rivera have met with city planning staff and are well aware of the municipal land use and transit-oriented development rules they will have to meet for their new ventures.

"Is it a challenge? Yes," Camino said, but added, "Doors are opening. People who care about the town see what we are trying to do."

Soon to become a Plainfield himself with purchase of a home on West Eighth Street, Camino said, "We're ambitious, we're young and we're here to stay."

--Bernice

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