METUCHEN — More new life may soon breathe into the former Oakite factory property, which manufactured asbestos building materials until the 1980s.
“The Oakite redevelopment project has been going on for years, long before I was part of this body,” Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch said at a Borough Council meeting on Aug. 13.
The council introduced an ordinance to adopt a redevelopment plan for the former Oakite factory site. In 2015, the council passed a resolution designating the site as a non-condemnation redevelopment area. A public hearing and final adoption for the ordinance will be held at a meeting on Sept. 17.
“The idea [of the redevelopment plan] is to help guide the desires of the borough as to what could possibly be constructed on the property,” Busch said.
The mayor said municipal officials take construction and building very seriously in the borough.
“We don’t just let developers come in and do whatever they want,” he said. “We want to make sure [developers and builders] conform with our standards and are consistent with the type of construction, interests and needs in the community. That is very important.”
The Oakite redevelopment project, which is in a light industrial zone, is bounded by Vidas Park and includes the Sportsplex at Metuchen to the west, the future Middlesex Greenway Extension to the north, Middlesex Avenue to the east and Factory Street to the south.
Since the Oakite factory closed, Vidas Park and Trailhead Park, Fulton Bank and the Sportsplex have been developed out of the former industrial site, which encompasses more than 11 acres. About 5.8 acres have primarily been unimproved, vacant land along Middlesex Avenue for more than than a decade.
The primary goal of the redevelopment plan is to eliminate conditions which caused the project area to be considered an “area in need of redevelopment.”
Borough Administrator Jay Muldoon said an environmental cleanup is still being addressed on the site to make way for potential development. A portion of the site had previously been capped to create the field at Vidas Park.
Another goal is to improve road inter-connectivity and relieve the pressure on traffic hot spots along Middlesex and Central avenues to New Durham Road (Route 501), and to address parking issues related to the Sportsplex.
In addition, the plan provides an opportunity for the future Middlesex Greenway extension.
The Oakite property is split into Parcel A and Parcel B. The zoning for the proposed redevelopment plan for the portion of Parcel A which fronts the mid-block intersection on Middlesex Avenue allows for age-restricted housing.
The zoning for the proposed redevelopment plan for Parcel B, which fronts Middlesex Avenue allows for a building or mixed use development of inns and hotels, which may include restaurants, catering halls and fitness; a brew pub, distillery and winery; indoor and outdoor eating and drinking establishments; and specialty retail of bicycles, sporting goods, outdoor fitness or athletic equipment and apparel.
The portion of Parcel B which fronts the mid-block intersection allows for a catering or banquet hall; specialty retail consisting of art galleries; artist and craft studios; artisanal manufacturing; a wholesale store of more than 3,500 square feet; a retail liquor store, professional offices; non-public schools; recreational uses; social halls; research and development facilities; dry cleaning establishments; borough-operated facilities; general retail uses not to exceed 5,000 square foot; and one bank.
The borough, according to the proposed redevelopment plan, will be allowed to select more than one developer for the construction of the project.
Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@newspapermediagroup.com.
