Local family selected as Ford Ave. developer

Boraie Development
will work with agency
on redevelopment

By tara petersen
Staff Writer

Local family selected as Ford Ave. developer


A rendering of Boraie Development’s proposal for Ford Avenue.A rendering of Boraie Development’s proposal for Ford Avenue.

Boraie Development

will work with agency

on redevelopment

By tara petersen

Staff Writer

Ford Avenue is one step closer to a major redevelopment project.

Milltown’s redevelopment agency has chosen Boraie Development Ltd., of New Brunswick, from four finalists to redevelop a 20-acre span along Ford Avenue and adjacent to Main Street. Omar Boraie, president and owner of the company, which he runs with his two sons, has lived in Milltown for nearly 30 years.

Boraie was one of nine initial developers who presented redevelopment plans to the agency based on a request for proposals advertised last year. In May, that field was narrowed to Boraie and three other builders — American Properties, Matzel & Mumford and the Kaplan Cos.

Redevelopment Agency Chairman Anthony Zarillo said Boraie’s appointment Tuesday night "begins our journey of transforming Ford Avenue from its current unsightly, run-down, dilapidated, unsafe, environmentally unacceptable, grossly mismanaged state into what has always defined Milltown — a safe, aesthetically attractive, environmentally sensitive, family-oriented and friendly community."

The Ford Avenue site has been used for industrial purposes dating to the late 1800s. Many of the buildings currently on the property were built as part of the Michelin Tire Co., which operated there for much of the last century.

The land is privately owned and includes a mix of vacant buildings and small businesses.

Zarillo said that a developer’s agreement will follow this week’s action and will outline "all terms and conditions. There is no more-important document."

Boraie’s concept plan incorporates mixed-use zoning and includes commercial office space, retail, single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes and apartments, as well as restaurants, a pedestrian walkway, a gazebo and open space.

"I assure you, and I assure everybody in Milltown, we will fulfill every word in our proposal," Omar Boraie said.

According to his son, Sam, all of the housing, including the single-family homes, would be age-restricted.

The commercial and retail portion would each comprise around 25,000 square feet. The company envisions having a plaza area where people can walk in and see retail on both sides and offices on the second level, he said. This space would be located to the east of Clay Street, which would need to be extended.

The residential portion would encompass approximately 220 units, he said. Some 60 townhomes would be located next to the retail area, and would have a parking deck on the lower level that can be used for the residences or the shops. Around 60 additional townhomes would be built along the water.

Approximately 8 to 10 single-family homes would be located along Ford Avenue to "blend the project into the surrounding area" since there are some houses in existence already, Boraie said.

There would also be a larger structure for "senior housing" that would have around 100 rental apartments. He said that senior housing has a different, more stringent definition than age-restricted housing, he said.

With regard to the number of homes, he cautioned that "they are all rough numbers," because the developer’s agreement needs to be completed first.

Other details of the plan include a gazebo that will be at the end of a dock-like structure that juts out into the Mill Pond. The builder has also incorporated a variety of open spaces, some green and some paved. A paved open square near Clay Street could be used for "concerts in the summer," Boraie said.

"We really wanted to incorporate it into the rest of the town. We don’t want it to be exclusive [like other communities can be], but inclusive so the town can use the pavilion, and walk to the river," he said.

He said that two restaurants would be located along the water, and the builder is also trying to make space for a heath care clinic.

"Awarding this proposal takes us a step closer to realizing a dream to move forward with the cleanup of the blighted Ford Avenue complex," said Borough Council President Gerard Cappella, who is also a member of the redevelopment agency.

Agency member and Milltown Mayor Gloria Bradford said, "This is a day in history I think we are going to remember."

Officials also discussed a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency that will provide $350,000 toward the assessment of the contamination on the Ford Avenue site. Zarillo said that through preliminary tests, "10 or 12 hot spots were identified. We have no idea of the extent of [the contamination]. We need to take samples."

He also said that "seven tax points" have been avoided thanks to the outside funding.

Zarillo said that the testing of the site will move forward "in parallel" with the creation of the developer’s agreement.

Two appointments were also made at the meeting. Borough Business Administrator Richard Rydstrom will now be the agency’s executive director on a part-time basis. Agency member Mary Crabiel was also elected as its vice chairwoman.