Goal is to broaden town’s tax base.
By: Cynthia Koons
WASHINGTON Enticing commercial real estate brokers and convincing them to set up shop in Washington Township is John Gross’ job. Six months of preparation will come to fruition Feb. 26, when he hosts the township’s first brokers open house to accomplish that very task.
"A brokers open house will bring all the brokers together to tell them what we have to offer in Washington Township," said Mr. Gross, the township’s economic development coordinator. "I’ve hosted brokers open houses for individual properties. This is a little different because it’s for a township."
For the event, to be held in the Northeast Business Park off West Manor Way, Mr. Gross plans to invite few hundred commercial real estate brokers whose financial sights could range from town center to the incoming warehouse park and any plot of commercial land in between.
"If anybody has a property available, we’d like to know about it," Mr. Gross said. "It could be properties for sale, land for sale, buildings for lease any type of commercial property."
Mayor Doug Tindall said the town has been aggressively encouraging development in the commercial and warehousing zones to increase the township’s tax base and alleviate some of the debt incurred from the new high school and other municipal expenses.
"The committee has been very aware of (rising taxes) and that’s part of the reason for the hiring of the economic development officer to broaden that tax base so our individual residents are not burdened any more than is absolutely necessary," Mayor Tindall said.
Township Corporate Financial Officer Karen Baldino said the businesses in Northeast Business Park are financially beneficial for the local government by paying a significant amount of taxes while not being a large expense to the township.
"They give us a lot in tax dollars," she said. "But the costs to the town for them being here is minimal."
The Seaman’s warehouse in Northeast Business Park, for example, generated just over $1 million in tax revenue for the township last year, she said.
Mr. Gross’ position of economic development coordinator is unique to this local area, but, he said, there are jobs similar to his in other communities around the state.
"I actually had a friend who used to do full-time economic development for the city of New Brunswick and he gave me some advice," Mr. Gross said. "The way I view this is not too different than the way I’d market an office building.
"This is really the same thing on a larger scale and so far I think it’s working pretty well," he said. "It takes time more than anything else."
His timeframes may be limited, Mayor Tindall said, seeing as he was hired by the Township Committee on a contract that ends in March at which point his position will be up for review.
He is being paid $25,000 a quarter, with funding coming from a statewide small cities grant which finances economic development initiatives in towns like Washington, Mayor Tindall said.
Mr. Gross said in the six months he’s held the economic development coordinator position, he’s used his leverage as a commercial real estate broker with 18 years experience in the field to establish connections between Washington and business community.
"It kind of puts me in a unique perspective," he said of his coinciding jobs of broker and economic development coordinator. "It allows me to get to these people a lot quicker because I know these people."
Some of the commercial areas he’s worked to inhabit with businesses over the past few months include Town Center and the incoming Matrix business park.
"We are talking to three very large companies right now for the Northeast Business Park," he said. "I talked to a couple of a retail companies for Town Center.
"Everybody would recognize (their names) and people would be proud to have associated with Washington Township," he said, adding he could not elaborate further until the deals are solidified.
Another area of town open to further commercial development is the Route 130 corridor. An ordinance delineating the type of businesses that are acceptable for that region is under review by the Township Committee and Planning Board.
"Any large retail (establishment) is not going to fit on those parcels," Mayor Tindall said. Both wetlands and a rail line restrict the land’s development in the corridor.
"It’s going to take some smaller mom-and-pop type stores," he said. "With the extra traffic the Hamilton Marketplace is creating, it may lend itself to boutique-style development."
As to whether development will encroach on the township’s open space, Mayor Tindall said the rural agricultural land may remain undeveloped solely because the property lacks the sewer and water connections necessary for building.
"There’s always a threat of development, especially when housing prices are as high as they are now, but certainly developers would like to purchase the properties that are more easily developed," he said.

