SAYREVILLE – A municipal plan to redevelop a 400-acre property that was the location of a chemical manufacturing facility on South Minnisink Avenue in Sayreville has been adopted by the Borough Council.
During a recent meeting, council members approved a plan to redevelop property owned by manufacturing company Hercules at 50 South Minnisink Ave., which is referred to as the Hercules Redevelopment Area. The ordinance also amends Sayreville’s zoning map to designate the area of the property as a redevelopment area.
According to the ordinance, the redevelopment plan will facilitate the clearance, replanning, development and redevelopment of the area. The Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA) is designated as the redevelopment entity for the area.
The property has served as the site of a chemical manufacturing facility. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Hercules plant began operations about 100 years ago, initially producing nitrocellulose, which was used for making explosives, and later producing the pesticide DDT. These efforts later caused contamination at the site, according to the EPA.
The council passed a resolution in 2017 designating the property as a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment. A redevelopment plan for the area was subsequently presented by CME Associates before SERA in January after SERA asked for a draft plan.
Following the presentation, SERA passed a resolution in February recommending the redevelopment plan be reviewed by the Borough Council and the Planning Board, according to the ordinance.
The redevelopment plan was presented to the council in March, and the council passed a resolution in April directing the Planning Board to consider the plan and send it back to the council for adoption, according to the ordinance.