Redevelopment was certainly at the top of the agenda in Edison this week.
Early in the week, township officials heard a truly horrendous proposal for the former Revlon site on Route 27. Thankfully, the mayor and council recognized it as such.
Starwood Heller, an Edgewater developer, wanted to cram 600 housing units and 45,000 square feet of retail space on a 65-acre piece of property.
The already overburdened Route 27 corridor doesn’t need that kind of high-intensity housing development — which would have come with three- and four-story buildings according to the plan.
The fact that the developer didn’t even bother to present a traffic study with the proposal should tell officials and the community a lot of what they need to know about the plan.
Officials were also correct to call Starwood Heller on the estimate that only 31 children would enter the school system from the development, if the proposal became a reality. According to the plan, approximately 300 units would be age-restricted, leaving the other half open to everyone.
Since projections show that the development would only bring in $131,229 in tax revenue, taxpayers would have to foot a hefty portion of the bill for the additional students, even if by some miracle only 31 children moved in.
Officials need to make sure that they use the pending redevelopment of the Revlon site — as well as the redevelopment of the Ford plant on Route 1 — to fill the township’s coffers with revenue from new tax ratables.
With an increase in revenue in mind, Mayor George A. Spadoro appeared with state officials to tout the township’s big plans for the Ford site on Route 1 after the plant shuts down its auto manufacturing operations later this month.
Spadoro, who is describing the Ford site as one of the most attractive properties in the region, expects the value of the 102-acre parcel to skyrocket after redevelopment.
Whatever happens to the Ford property is sure to have a huge impact on Edison’s future, so the community should keep a close watch on what is proposed.