Middle Learns Status of Redevelopment Efforts

COURT HOUSE – At its Oct. 21 work session, Middle Township Committee heard a presentation by its Special Counsel James Maley concerning the state of the municipality’s redevelopment efforts.
Over 18 months ago, the municipality began a process to designate several areas in its commercial zones as in need of redevelopment or rehabilitation. The designation, once completed per state statutes, gives the municipality greater latitude to work with prospective developers on zoning issues, financial incentives, and a variety of other issues that could facilitate and energize a project desired by the municipality.
Maley’s presentation showed the areas that have been designated under state law. He then focused on two potential prospects.
In one, a developer has expressed a desire to build a townhome and apartment complex on the site of the former concrete factory in Rio Grande. Maley said the negotiations have stalled over financing concerns. He indicated that a meeting has been scheduled to see what ways, if any, the municipality can help alleviate the impediment.
The other property he highlighted was on Indian Trail Road, where a large parcel has mixed municipal and private ownership interests. A builder suggested that he might be interested in constructing an over 55 residential community on the land, but the prospect is vague given the need to work out property ownership issues.
Maley did not mention a third area where the municipality is entertaining interest from a company seeking a state permit for a medical marijuana facility on the land housing the former La Monica Plant, also on Indian Trail Road.
The message from Maley was that the heavy lifting of getting the designations is over. He suggested that the next step be active participation from the municipality in seeking developers wanting to go forward with projects that would benefit the town.