METUCHEN – The Oakite redevelopment plan on Middlesex Avenue is moving forward with an assisting living and memory care facility, a daycare center and a coffee shop with a drive-thru.
The Borough Council approved two resolutions authorizing the execution of the redevelopment agreements for the establishments at a meeting on Nov. 8.
Before the vote Jay Muldoon, director of special projects, explained the resolutions. He said discussions to bring in Artis Senior Living, which provide senior care services including assisted living and memory care, began at least a decade ago.
“I was on council when discussions were already underway,” he said. “We are now at the point where we can have the redevelopment agreement executed with Artis.”
The second resolution is an agreement with Metuchen III to redevelop portions of the site between Durham Avenue and the Metuchen Sportsplex for a daycare center and a coffee shop.
Muldoon said now with the execution of agreements, it would authorize the developers to work with the borough zoning officer and ultimately come before the Planning Board for site plan approval.
Mayor Jonathan Busch said the redevelopment agreements are “another way to convert light industrial into something useful, productive and in this case allows uses the borough has never seen before.
“A memory care facility allows some of our loved ones to be even closer,” he said. “It presents an opportunity for some of us. It’s a neat opportunity for the empty space [along Middlesex Avenue].”
In September, the council approved the second reading of the amended redevelopment plan for the Oakite site, which is proposed to be redeveloped as a gateway to Middlesex Avenue, incorporating traffic calming measures and a mix of uses including retail and housing units under a revised redevelopment plan proposed for the tract.
The site already is home to the Metuchen SportsPlex.