EAST BRUNSWICK — The redeveloper of the Golden Triangle has told township officials it wants to discuss certain elements of the project.
Council President Catherine Diem said the township received a letter from Toll Brothers about a week after the election, and the Township Council planned a closed session to discuss the matter after press time for this issue Monday night. Diem said she could not divulge details because negotiations may have to take place between the township and Toll Brothers.
Councilman Donald Klemp acknowledged that the town had received a letter from Toll Brothers to be discussed in the executive session.
“They want to talk to us about the [redevelopment] agreement,” he said.
Diem said representatives of the developer and township met last week to discuss the letter and current state of the project.
The Pennsylvania-based developer purchased the property known as the Golden Triangle, at Route 18 and Tices Lane, from the township in 2005. Toll Brothers has plans to develop the site, where Sam’s Club and Jason’s Furniture operate, as a retail and residential community to be called The Cornerstone at East Brunswick. The builder has Planning Board approval for 402 residential units and more than 180,000 square feet of retail space.
Toll Brothers has acknowledged in recent years that the plans may be changed or that the project will not be fully built out, depending on market conditions. Representatives have said the firm may ultimately build a large retail center with no residential component, describing that idea as a contingency plan to be considered if the housing market does not bounce back.
There was no word on what changes are now being sought.
“We will have a closed session to find out what’s going on,” Diem said. “I think the letter cited current economic conditions, and [Toll Brothers] want to talk about the future of the redevelopment.”
She said Mayor William Neary and Councilman David Stahl, who will become mayor on Jan. 1, attended last week’s meeting.
“Anything we do with them is going to require some negotiations,” Diem said.

