Viridian to propose warehouse plan within month

By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
   CRANBURY — A Colorado redevelopment firm expects to present a plan to redevelop 395 acres on Brickyard Road to the Planning Board sometime in the next few weeks.
   Viridian bought the property in Cranbury’s industrial district in January 2006 and hopes to build three warehouses on the site.
   The warehouses, totaling 2.8 million square feet, will run parallel to each other on the property’s east side and would be located about five miles south of the N.J. Turnpike’s Exit 8A. Viridian officials say their plans meet all township zoning and regional sewer-service requirements, would generate tax revenue and take a contaminated and dangerous site and make it productive and safer.
   The property had been the former site of the Unexcelled Chemical Corp., a manufacturer of military munitions including grenades, fuses, napalm and incendiary bombs.
   Unexcelled closed in 1954 after an explosion claimed the lives of two employees and scattered explosive debris throughout the area.
   Viridian officials told The Cranbury Press on Nov. 9 that those explosives are more dangerous today than they were more than 50 years ago because they have grown more volatile. However, they said their redevelopment plan would reduce the danger.
   ”This is not the typical contamination, these are things that could blow up and kill you,” said Tate Goss, president of Viridian. “It’s just a matter of time before there’s an accident.”
   Company representatives said they plan to clean up the munitions on the property and then pave over the area according to state Department of Environmental Protection rules. The warehouses would be built atop the paved area and the site would be fenced in to prevent access from the public.
   ”This plan accommodates every element of feedback we’ve received,” said Richard S. Goldman, a lawyer representing Viridian from Drinker Biddle and Reath.
   The DEP, which ordered that the property be cleaned up, decided that the best plan for the land was to cap it and limit access, Mr. Goldman said.
   Viridian has taken steps to safeguard the community from the munitions including conducting an extensive study and erecting a $300,000 chain-link fence to keep the public off the property, Mr. Goldman said.
   A study conducted by explosive ordinance device experts concluded that the 45-acre area previously thought to be affected by the explosion was at least 85 acres, Mr. Goss said.
   The company plans to spend around $30 million to remediate the property, Viridian representatives said.
   The plans also call for creating, preserving and maintaining about 200 acres of wetlands on the site, based on the extent of contamination.
   The current zoning on the parcel is Industrial-Light Impact. Viridian representatives said the company is meeting all zoning requirements, including lot area, frontage, width, setbacks, building height, floor-area ratio and maximum impervious coverage.
   In addition, the company expects to use less than 1,000 gallons of the 2,000 gallons of water it is allowed per day.
   To help in its efforts to conserve water, the company plans to invest in composting toilets that use chemical foam to break down and store waste that can be transported later and will recycle water from sinks to use in a drip irrigation system for landscaping.
   ”This has never been done before in New Jersey,” Mr. Goldman said. “This could become a green prototype that could catch on.”
   In addition, Viridian representatives said it will keep the flow of traffic associated with its business from gaining direct access Route 130 and intends to help fund the construction of Liberty Way.
   Liberty Way will run from South River Road to Station Road in the warehouse district. It is designed to help divert truck traffic off the portion of Route 130 that runs through Cranbury by giving trucks an easier way to get to Exit 8A. Portions of the road have been completed in recent years, with some paid for with state and county grants and others paid for by warehouse owners whose properties would be serviced by the road.
   According to the proposal, Viridian officials project the complex to generate about $2.88 million in new tax revenue “that will be shared by Cranbury Township, the area school system and the county, offering an estimated $2,600 per year savings in annual real estate taxes to each household in the township.”
   The proposal said the complex could offer 500 job opportunities.
   Mr. Goldman said Viridian is cooperating with the township and is waiting to hear back from the Township Committee concerning a subcommittee that would further review the plans.
   ”We’re not trying to do this is a vacuum,” Mr. Goldman said. “We’re trying to get community input.”