290 Homes Planned For Garden State Paper Site

From the Herald News:

With no buyer for plant, housing is planned

When Richard Chmielewski talks about losing the job he performed for 25 years at Garden State Paper during the 2001 Enron collapse, it's what he doesn't say that carries the most weight.
...
And then five years went by.

Now, the majority of the nonpartisan City Council is pushing to build 290 housing units on the site. Mayor Frank Calandriello said the redevelopment plan was chosen as a last resort when city officials realized no one was willing to purchase and reopen the factory.

"Honestly, we really don't have many options," Calandriello said. "We need action. We need progress. And this is a step in the right direction."
...
When Garden State Paper's owner, Enron, declared bankruptcy in 2001, the factory, which produced newsprint for newspapers across the country, was forced to close after more than 40 years.
...
"It's not something Garfield is doing wrong," Calandriello said. "Industry has been leaving the state of New Jersey for the past 20 years. It's just too expensive to stay here."
...
Instead of employing 250 area residents at the site, which has remained untouched since closing in 2001, the property will most likely bring in more than $2 million in annual tax ratables once the 290-unit housing project is built. Officials said they hoped construction would begin in two years. When GSP was operating, it brought in $300,000 annually in taxes, the largest city ratable at that time, officials said.

The Redevelopment Agency approved the preliminary plan for the housing project submitted by H.P. Garfield LLC on a 5-1 vote at a special meeting on June 19. On Aug. 8, Calandriello, Councilmen Joe Delaney, James Krone and Stanley Moskal voted for the zoning changes needed to build the housing complex.