By:John Patten
The Borough Council took the next step in redeveloping Main Street’s Rustic Mall at a special meeting Tuesday, by approving a pair of resolutions that authorize the planning work to begin.
In February, the council declared the site a redevelopment zone, the first step toward possible condemnation if the mall’s owners do not agree to undertake improvements. The borough has been pushing for improvements at the 28-acre site, which is home to Manville Foodtown, Manville Pizza, Drug Fair and Leslie’s Pools.
The unanimously approved resolutions enable engineer Jorge Berkowitz to prepare a redevelopment plan for the site which includes the Superfund creosote cleanup project and authorize the Planning Board to prepare a complete plan for the redevelopment project.
Dr. Berkowitz helped the borough initiate the cleanup project as an engineer with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. After leaving the department, he was associated with Sadat Associates, the firm designated as the borough’s engineers, and is now affiliated with Langan Associates as head of the firm’s environmental services office in Trenton.
The resolution approves a contract with Langan Associates not to exceed $5,000 for work related to the environmental studies for redevelopment work.
A separate resolution directs the Planning Board to begin work on the redevelopment of the mall, which the council declared a redevelopment zone in February after discussions with the current owners for improvements at the site failed.
Plans prepared and approved by the Planning Board must be submitted to the Borough Council for final approval.
Any redevelopment plans approved may have to wait, however. The mall’s owners, Rustic Mall LLC, filed a lawsuit contesting the borough’s rezoning move, with a court date expected in the summer.
