By Frank Mustac, Special Writer
HOPEWELL BOROUGH — Borough officials are investigating whether to classify some of the properties near the borough’s historic old railroad station as “an area in need of redevelopment.”
Several warehouses in the area are currently “underutilized,” Borough Administrator/Clerk Michele Hovan said at the most recent Borough Council meeting.
Borough planner Frank Banisch, speaking at the same meeting held earlier in July, described how designating an area in need of redevelopment, as stipulated under the state’s Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, can provide incentives for landowners to update buildings and facilities on their properties, if those properties meet certain requirements.
Some of the requirements, Mr. Banisch said, include that buildings on a property are in a state of disrepair; facilities on those properties are old and out of date; and that buildings and other structures on a property have been destroyed by fire or other natural calamities.
The Local Redevelopment and Housing Law also provides a mechanism by which zoning can be changed for particular properties.
Mr. Banisch told council members that they could request the borough’s planning board to determine whether certain properties or an entire section of town near the train station (http://www.centraljersey.com/news/hopewell_valley_news/hopewell-borough-station-room-named-for-david-knights/article_73eee4d9-dc24-521e-8e0c-09a3622e7123.html)qualify as “an area in need of redevelopment.”
Offering his opinion on whether the municipality should move ahead to designate an area in need of redevelopment, Mr. Banisch told council members, “I think it’s a very good thing for the borough, but it’s up to you to decide.”
At least one landowner of property on Somerset Street, to the east of the train station, has approached municipal officials about changing the zoning of his parcel, according to Mayor Paul Anzano.
The landowner, who the mayor said prefers not to be identified at this time, owns a piece of commercial real estate about the size of an average block in the borough, Mr. Anzano said in a recent phone interview. There is also a commercial building that stands on the property.
“That landowner asked us to explore redevelopment for that particular property,” the mayor said.
“We’re trying to be respectful of the landowner’s wishes,” Mr. Anzano said about withholding the individual’s name. “But if you live here in town, you’ll know who I’m talking about.”
Currently, zoning in the part of town being considered for redevelopment is classified as “service zone.” The mayor said a less-restrictive zoning could be assigned to the area that would allow for “light industrial and professional offices with some residential.”
“The discussion is ongoing between the Borough Council and the Planning Board,” Mayor Anzano said. “I think it will be rezoned, but the council and the Planning Board would both have to agree.”
