Old Bridge Development Plans Never Materialized
From the Star Ledger:
Old Bridge seeks balance that developers promised
"During the 1980s, when Old Bridge was still dominated by farms and wide swaths of undeveloped land, township officials approved plans for major developments, hoping to create a mix of housing, retail and commercial space during the next 20 years."
"But those plans never fully materialized as the officials envisioned."
"Instead, the developers -- who promised everything from retail to office space, train stations and road improvements -- built only housing."
"Now township officials are trying to put the brakes on any further housing developments where they can, hoping to force developers Michael Alfieri and Atlantic Realty to live up to their end of the bargain."
""They promised the sun and the moon and the stars," Mayor James T. Phillips said. "But all we got was very high-density housing and not one stick of commercial or retail ratable for the township.""
"Edison-based Alfieri's general development plan, which was approved in September 1985 for Metropark South, along the Laurence Harbor near the Garden State Parkway's Exit 120, included housing, a train station, a seven-story hotel, 2,605 parking spaces, 800,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of retail. Alfieri was also to fund nearby road improvements as part of the agreement."
"Since the approval of Alfieri's original plan, however, only Bridgepointe, a high-end development consisting of hundreds of townhouses, has been built."
"Officials say holding the developers to their agreements will result in a more balanced community."
""The key to our future is smarter growth," said Gillespie, who was appointed by then-Gov. Richard Codey as the state ombudsman for Smart Growth from 2005 to 2006. "It's a more conservative approach, where we certainly want less residential that isn't going to be a positive revenue generator.""
Old Bridge seeks balance that developers promised
"During the 1980s, when Old Bridge was still dominated by farms and wide swaths of undeveloped land, township officials approved plans for major developments, hoping to create a mix of housing, retail and commercial space during the next 20 years."
"But those plans never fully materialized as the officials envisioned."
"Instead, the developers -- who promised everything from retail to office space, train stations and road improvements -- built only housing."
"Now township officials are trying to put the brakes on any further housing developments where they can, hoping to force developers Michael Alfieri and Atlantic Realty to live up to their end of the bargain."
""They promised the sun and the moon and the stars," Mayor James T. Phillips said. "But all we got was very high-density housing and not one stick of commercial or retail ratable for the township.""
"Edison-based Alfieri's general development plan, which was approved in September 1985 for Metropark South, along the Laurence Harbor near the Garden State Parkway's Exit 120, included housing, a train station, a seven-story hotel, 2,605 parking spaces, 800,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of retail. Alfieri was also to fund nearby road improvements as part of the agreement."
"Since the approval of Alfieri's original plan, however, only Bridgepointe, a high-end development consisting of hundreds of townhouses, has been built."
"Officials say holding the developers to their agreements will result in a more balanced community."
""The key to our future is smarter growth," said Gillespie, who was appointed by then-Gov. Richard Codey as the state ombudsman for Smart Growth from 2005 to 2006. "It's a more conservative approach, where we certainly want less residential that isn't going to be a positive revenue generator.""
1 Comments:
I live in OB, and can tell you 1) That "big" plans never materialize, and 2) It's all about the payoffs.
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