Ford Ave. redevelopment
Up to nine parties have expressed interest in
Ford Ave. redevelopment
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
MILLTOWN — Builders interested in redeveloping Ford Avenue’s factory buildings for commercial and residential purposes have met with borough officials on several occasions recently to discuss issues surrounding the future of the 19.5-acre site.
During those meetings, officials explained their desire to see mixed uses such as age-restricted housing, upscale townhouses, commercial businesses and professional offices, but they also talked about what they don’t want to see — uses such as light industrial businesses or anything that is not in keeping with the borough’s historic character.
"We indicated to them that we’re not looking for something overly ambitious, that what we want is to maintain the aesthetic value of the town," said Anthony Zarillo, chairman of the Ford Avenue Redevelopment Agency.
Developers are expected to present official redevelopment proposals to the redevelopment agency by February, Zarillo said last week, noting that the deadline for proposals was pushed back to give builders more time to work on their concepts.
Once the proposals are submitted, the agency will prioritize them based on criteria such as how they fit with the agency’s ideas for the site; the builders’ qualifications, experience and knowledge in redevelopment strategies; the firm’s financial strength; what parties the builder would involve in the redevelopment process; and other issues.
It is possible that two developers, rather than one, will be selected to work with the borough on the redevelopment of the area, Zarillo said.
Eight or nine developers and vendors met with the agency during a bidders’ conference in September, and weeks later many of them walked the Ford Avenue site with agency members to discuss ideas and view the buildings — some of which can be rehabilitated while others will have to be demolished. They also discussed obstacles such as environmental contamination, which officials said may be present in some areas of the site.
Agency members feel strongly that the borough needs senior citizen housing, but that is not the only type of residential housing that may spring up on Ford Avenue.
"One thing we’re seriously looking at, though I want to emphasize that no decisions have been made, is the potential for some high-end townhouses, the type that does not bring a lot of schoolchildren but instead brings young couples who want to invest in a townhouse as opposed to paying rent," Zarillo said. He noted that those young couples are more likely to move out of the townhouses once they start to raise children.
As for the developers, Zarillo said they have expressed an interest in a number of types of ideas.
"Developers are interested in the bottom line, but they want to present a product that is within the realm of what (local officials) want to see at the site," he said, noting that officials also want to keep the property as a positive tax ratable for the future.
"We want to come out with the best combination of uses for the borough," he said.
The agency also wants to leave intact the historic character of the area. For example, Zarillo said he would like to see an old water tower and smoke stack worked into the redevelopment plan along with those buildings that can be rehabilitated.
"I don’t know if it can be done, but we’d like to look at that," he said. "It’s part of the historic value of the site."
Though it is no longer the industrial hub it once was, the Ford Avenue property is presently the site of numerous buildings and several active businesses, including light manufacturing businesses, a dance studio and other operations.
The property, which is the former site of the Michelin Tire Co., is owned privately by three parties, and Zarillo said he hopes the borough and developer will be able to buy the properties through negotiations with the owners. Condemnation in court will be a last resort, he said.
Zarillo said that, of the two primary owners, one has been cooperative with the borough and the other has not.
"We know there are many challenges ahead of us," Zarillo said. "We are only in the very early stages of the redevelopment process, but we’re very comfortable with the pace we’ve been going."

