SAYREVILLE – An ordinance amending Sayreville’s waterfront redevelopment plan has been adopted by the Borough Council, with street names to be chosen from a list of military veterans that officials maintain.
The ordinance, adopted on July 22, relates to Riverton, a 418-acre (5 million square feet), $2.5 billion mixed-used development that is being developed in Sayreville by the Raritan River.
Among the amendments in the ordinance, new permitted uses in two parcels of the redevelopment area will be self-storage facilities (no more than three permitted), provided that the facility is in a multi-story format and offers climate-controlled storage options; facilities that include a vehicle storage and display tower of three or more stories with automated retrieval systems for the display and sale of new or used vehicles (mid-rise vehicle sales) and have an associated land area of no more than 1.5 acres (no more than two permitted); and facilities producing alcoholic beverages for wholesale or retail distribution, including breweries, wineries, meaderies and distilleries, which may include related ancillary activities such as tours, sampling, entertainment and food service.
The ordinance also amends the permitted uses on the two parcels to specify that the construction of residential units with more than two bedrooms are to be minimized through the design of the residential developments and permit skilled care facilities, marina fueling stations, ride sharing services, car sharing services and car rental services.
When the ordinance appeared before the governing body to be possibly adopted, it was met with objection from military veterans because it would amend a regulation that recommends street names to be selected from the borough’s list of veterans.
“All of these Sayreville veterans gave up themselves so you could enjoy the freedoms of what your country is built upon,” veteran and resident Rich Kosmoski said. “Some of their names were long, but if that long and difficult name was able to fit on a military dog tag, it should be able to fit on a street sign. People living on these streets should feel proud that they’re living on a street named after a local hero. That veteran gave more of himself in defense of this country than you’ll ever know.
“Currently, there are attempts to change the ordinance of naming streets after our local vets,” he continued. “Are we going to allow the outside contractors, planners and builders who have no roots in our community dictate to you, the council, and us, the veterans? I urge you not to change the ordinance and give SERA [Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency] the authority to name streets just to accommodate projects by outside developers.
“Can you honestly change that ordinance despite our concerns here tonight? Are you going to snub the veterans and allow SERA, who should have no input in naming the streets of Sayreville, to have the authority over veterans? Can you honestly tell your war heroes that you favor naming the new streets with alluring names rather than naming them after our local Silver Star recipients?”
Following the input from the veterans, the ordinance’s requirement that street names should be chosen from the list of veterans maintained by the borough was retained when the council voted to adopt the ordinance.
