‘I was bringing jobs to the area.’ – Sandra Craig-Barry, owner of Risco Inc.
By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
EAST WINDSOR — In August, Sandra Craig-Barry, owner of Risco Inc., a growing, multi-million dollar business in Atlantic Highlands, hoped to relocate her company, which specializes in high end motor coaches, to the vacant winery building on Etra Road.
However, East Windsor officials found the business to be “not a good fit” at that location, which was formerly zoned commercial but has since been zoned for residential and agricultural uses.
"We needed it to go back to the original zoning,” Ms. Craig-Barry said.
And with that change, she explained, would have come jobs. She had anticipated hiring 15 new employees upon relocating to the township.
However, for the township, zoning was a major point of contention per Ms. Craig-Barry’s proposal.
"The two main reasons that we did not see a good fit is because the property wasn’t zoned for that use and the second reason was because Sandra Craig-Barry admitted that the business couldn’t be contained on the site as it currently exists,” said Township Manager Alan Fisher during a telephone interview Wednesday. Mr. Fisher stated that the business would have needed additional storage for large motor coaches.
"The site is primarily rural,” he said of the vacant winery and parcel, adding that the area is RA zoned and thus is not capable with what Ms. Craig-Barry proposed to do.
Ms. Craig-Barry said her company holds federal, state, local contracts as well as with individuals, organizations and businesses.
She said Risco’s revenues are up 30 percent this year, and noted that the company pays 100 percent of its employees’ health care. Further, she said her husband had stumbled upon the vacant winery building with a for sale sign out front. As it is located close to the New Jersey Turnpike, it seemed like the perfect place to move the business, she explained.
However, Ms. Craig-Barry described facing rejection by the township from the onset.
"No one would talk to me,” Ms. Craig-Barry said during an interview with the Herald at the Princeton Packet. “They said I had to talk to the mayor first, they said it was a must.”
Mr. Fisher countered.
"We always encourage people to meet with the township to discuss what their plans are before they file any formal (paperwork),” Mr. Fisher said. “A lot of business owners appreciate that.”
Ms. Craig-Barry said she attempted to reach out to the township engineer for accurate lot lines, but was again told she needed to meet with the mayor first.
"I was afraid to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in site plans only to have her deny us,” Ms. Craig-Barry said.
On Halloween, Ms. Craig-Barry met with Mayor Janice Mironov.
"I told her I was bringing jobs to the area,” Ms. Craig-Barry said, adding that her employees in Atlantic Highlands would also be relocating to East Windsor.
Mayor Mironov was out of town as of press time, however, the Herald did reach out to her for comment prior to deadline.
After meeting with Mayor Mironov to discuss bringing her family owned business to the township, within days, Ms. Craig-Barry said the township’s answer was, “no.”
Ms. Craig-Barry stated that she is looking at moving her business, which has plans to double in size upon its relocation, to other New Jersey towns — including Hightstown.
On Nov. 4, Ms. Craig-Barry said she received a phone call from Business Development Director Wendy Sturgeon rejecting Risco’s proposal because she had sent a follow up e-mail to Mayor Mironov pertaining to their Oct. 31 meeting.
Ms. Sturgeon did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Ms. Craig-Barry said municipal staff told her that “because of my inappropriate public contact with the mayor she has rescinded her reconsideration of us doing business at that location . . . We were supposed to be moving over Christmas, that was our goal.”
Further, Ms. Craig-Barry said in September, Ms. Sturgeon told her that “the mayor said you may be better doing business somewhere else.”
It all began in early August.
"On Aug. 3, I went to the township offices, requesting property records, surveys, etc., on the property,” Ms. Craig-Barry stated. “No one would work with me until I met with the mayor. (I) introduced myself to (Township Clerk) Cindy Dye — and requested a meeting.”
On Aug. 4 Ms. Craig-Barry signed a contract for the property. The owner of the parcel is Lawrence Ravitz of Toms River. Ms. Craig-Barry said she also noticed that many people have been using the property as a dump site.
By Aug. 10, Ms. Craig-Barry said she was still trying to get a meeting with Mayor Mironov.
"(I) was told to be patient as her position is a part time position,” Ms. Craig-Barry said.
On Aug. 18, Ms. Craig-Barry said a meeting was scheduled to discuss her desire to bring Risco to East Windsor with Mr. Fisher and Ms. Sturgeon. It was postponed to Aug. 29.
In late August, she met with Mr. Fisher and Ms. Sturgeon, at which time she provided an overview of her company. Ms. Craig-Barry said that Mr. Fisher “indicated immediately that he did not see us as a ‘good fit.’ He encouraged me not to pursue the property.”
Said Mr. Fisher, “We did meet with her, listen to her, and expressed some reservations of the location of her business on the property.”
Mr. Fisher argued that the rejection was not in terms of East Windsor as a whole, but rather “just that one particular property that she had selected. East Windsor has a long history of working with businesses and trying to accommodate them and working with them and we are very proud of our record of being business friendly. But in this case, like I said, it was not a good fit.”
Still, on Oct. 31, Ms. Craig-Barry met with Mayor Mironov. She told the Herald that she had to first reach out to her local state representatives for assistance, including Assemblyman Declan Joseph O’Scanlon.
"He’s the one that facilitated the meeting,” Ms. Craig-Barry stated.
In addition to Mayor Mironov, Mr. Fisher and Ms. Sturgeon also attended the meeting.
According to Ms. Craig-Barry, Mayor Mironov said zoning was her biggest concern. Further, Ms. Craig-Barry said the mayor had some very good questions about the business, including how many vehicles would be traveling on township roads. Ms. Craig-Barry said it was hard to pinpoint an exact amount, but she estimated that it would be about three to five vehicles per week. She also said her business uses an off-site contractor pertaining to hazardous materials.
However, Mr. Fisher stated that “there were environmentally sensitive portions of the property” resulting from the company’s proposal.
After sending the mayor the follow up e-mail on Nov. 2, asking for a “yes” or a “no” on the project due to contract extensions. Ms. Craig-Barry said that Ms. Sturgeon called her by phone on Nov. 4 and said that “because you publicly contacted the mayor, it’s not going to work out.”
Mr. Fisher explained that the mayor has had a long-standing policy not to communicate with “developers and businesses owners” via e-mail or by telephone but rather in person in the presence of municipal staff.
Still, Ms. Craig-Barry said she had gotten the mayor’s e-mail off the township’s pubic Website.
”It’s very clear that she didn’t want us from the get go and she just wanted an excuse,” she said of Mayor Mironov. “We know it’s done, we’re moving on, we’re moving forward.”
Ms. Craig-Barry said she had received two extensions with property owners prior to meeting with Mayor Mironov. However, on Nov. 4, Risco had its attorney contact the seller and notify him that the company was not moving forward without the support of East Windsor.
”Who wants to throw away tens of thousands of dollars on site plans?” Ms. Craig-Barry asked.
Ms. Craig-Barry said she is continuing to look in towns to expand her business.
”We are looking anywhere but East Windsor,” she said.
Mr. Fisher said no other businesses have approached the township at this point with interests of buying the winery lot.