The litigation is over, the agreement is signed, and with resolutions approved last week by the East Brunswick Township Council, the Golden Triangle redevelopment project will move forward.
The council’s resolutions on Sept. 12 brought an end to more than two years of litigation between East Brunswick and developer Toll Brothers and set the table for the redevelopment of the property bordered by Route 18, Tices Lane and Old Bridge Turnpike.
“We have an opportunity to move this township forward, an opportunity to provide our residents with another shopping experience,” said Mayor David Stahl. “This is a good day for East Brunswick.”
Christopher Gaffney, a group president with Toll Brothers, said the company is happy to be moving forward with the plan, and can now begin hard-line engineering for the project and work to develop plans for review by the township Planning Board.
“We are very excited about the project,” Gaffney said. “East Brunswick is a great town, and we look forward to being a good neighbor.”
Under the agreement, the developer will be able to construct 220,000 square feet of commercial retail space — with no one store being larger than 180,000 square feet — and 200 to 400 housing units on the 32- acre property.
The total purchase price that Toll Brothers will pay East Brunswick for the Golden Triangle property has been dropped to the $22.5 million that the developer has already paid the township. The original price, established under a 2005 agreement, was $35 million.
As part of the deal, East Brunswick will receive a minimum yearly payment of $550,000 based on a payment-in-lieu-oftaxes (PILOT) program. In addition, Toll Brothers will drop its approximately $600,000 in pending tax appeals with the township. The retail store that will anchor the Golden Triangle redevelopment remains a mystery, leading some residents to express strong concerns over the plan. With a Super Wal-Mart rumored to be built at the site, resident John Mennella urged the Township Council to reject the Golden Triangle plan, fearing what it could mean for area businesses.
“Iwould really strongly advise against putting a superstore in there, because although I ambig on competition, that’s one that will put a lot of businesses out of business,” Mennella said. “Let’s keep this town somewhat the way it was designed. Let’s not redesign it into something it’s not.”
Anthony Riccobono, a former township councilman, also said he is worried about the impact a “superstore” would have on area businesses and said it could change the demographics of the township.
“This is not something that we should be doing, it’s something that we should think twice about,” Riccobono said. “People are going to be affected, business is going to be affected, and I think the value of the town as a whole will be affected.”
Resident Alan Wishna said he was concerned about the potential for a superstore, but also about the impact that 400 residential units could have on the school system. Wishna, a retired teacher, said he has seen firsthand the negative impact that large apartment complexes can have on schools.
“Wewill see what happens here with that,” Wishna said. “Four hundred units? It’s going to be a lot more kids than you can possibly imagine.”
Stahl said he is not at liberty to discuss what business may be entering the new development. Gaffney said no leases have been signed yet and that there is “no news yet” on the retailer.
Councilman James Wendell, a Republican, said that while the agreement is not perfect, it is the best the township could do with a bad situation.
“It’s better than a property sitting vacant, and it’s better than paying back $30 million, in my mind,” Wendell said. “It’s not what I want particularly, but it’s the best [option].”
Council President Camille Ferraro, also a Republican, said the deal is “far from perfect,” but that it can provide some relief for overburdened taxpayers and is the best that could be done, given the circumstances. She also said that if the project does harm the school system, the Township Council could take steps to help.
“If this has an adverse effect, it would be criminal of us not to step forward and to try and help the education system,” Ferraro said.
Citing examples from across the state, Republican Councilman Michael Hughes said that there is no evidence that a Super Wal- Mart, a Super Target or other superstores would drive away or shut down businesses. He said the new development could spur economic growth along the Route 18 corridor.
“I don’t buy that this is going to be the demise of the Route 18 corridor,” Hughes said. “I would argue just the opposite, that this is the beginning of a new era on Route 18, with new investment and new retail opportunities.”
Themeeting grewcontentiouswhenWendell said he would not vote for a resolution without having a final copy of it in hand. He said he could not vote on a document that he had not read.
“I don’t want to be in a position where someone is going to tell me three years from nowthat I authorized the mayor to sign something and that I didn’t read the final document,” Wendell said. “I support it, I support everything we’ve done, but until I have the document in my hand, I can’t in good conscious vote to allow the mayor to sign the document.”
Township redevelopment attorney Jeffrey Lehrer said the documents were delivered to the township the same day as the meeting, and were the same as those previously reviewed by the Township Council. The only difference was that the final documents had signatures fromToll Brothers on them, he said.
Lehrer said a delay in voting for the agreement could derail the entire redevelopment project.
“I can’t assure that this matter won’t take a different turn if these resolutions aren’t moved in a positive direction this evening,” Lehrer said .
Democratic Councilwoman Denise Contrino accused Wendell of questioning Lehrer’s integrity.
“You are delaying this for no reason, Jim,” Contrino said. “It’s the same thing we’ve had. I am not sure why you are making such a big deal out of it.”
The council recessed while photocopies of the agreement were made. The council then voted 3-1 to pass the Golden Triangle resolutions, with Ferraro, Hughes and Contrino in favor, and Wendell casting the dissenting vote. Democratic Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin recused herself from the vote.