Snuff mill plan deserves
serious consideration
It didn’t take very long for opposition to build against a proposal to turn the vacant snuff mill in Helmetta into residential luxury apartments.
In the weeks immediately following a private developer’s presentation of plans to build 294 apartments in the mill’s buildings, many residents came out against the proposal. Some said they doubt the redevelopment of the mill as proposed would result in a tax decrease, as has been suggested by the developer.
Others offered varying suggestions for the 14-acre property of the mill, which was once the centerpiece of the community but has been vacant since closing its doors in 1993. Some suggested senior housing, while others brought to the table ideas such as building a school, park, community center, museum, etc.
The fact of the matter is there is only one choice right now, and that’s whether to go ahead with the plan for luxury apartments. That choice is the first the borough has had in the nine years since the mill closed. Some borough officials were thrilled last year to find that a private company, Matrix Residential Properties, was even considering buying the property from its current owner in order to make something of the abandoned buildings.
Under Matrix’s proposal, the property would become a major tax ratable for the borough. According to an impact study presented by Matrix, the facility would generate about $426,000 annually in payments to the borough in lieu of taxes, while costing the borough about $265,830 more in municipal and school expenses.
The borough, under this scenario, would see a surplus of $160,170 as a result of the new development.
In its impact study, which uses luxury apartments built in other communities to determine what could occur in Helmetta, the developer projects that the 63 one-bedroom and 231 two-bedroom units would generate a total of 470 residents but only 17 public school students.
The study is based on the idea that a given unit’s rent is high enough that it attracts mostly professionals without children. The study indicates that the average occupancy per unit would be 1.55 to 1.6 people, including 0.053 to 0.059 children per unit. It also uses a figure of $7,095 as the average tuition cost per child.
The biggest question is whether that scenario would really play out, but unfortunately that’s a question nobody can answer for sure. The best officials can do is hire a consultant of their own to see if the study is realistic.
Given the fact that there is a chance during these times of horrifying property tax increases (Helmetta’s tax rate is expected to increase by $1.05 in school taxes alone), the community needs to give serious consideration to any possible relief it may be able to attain.
Luxury apartments, which ultimately may even be complemented by commercial real estate, may not be what every resident of Helmetta wants, but right now it’s the only possibility. The pursuit of any other use for this site would have to be funded by the borough and not a private developer.
It is the first chance the borough has had in nine years to have something become of the snuff mill property, and officials and residents alike need to give it more thought before dismissing it in favor of shopping for something else that isn’t likely to be available.