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Mayor Matthew Moench Declares Bridgewater’s Victory Against Reckless Overdevelopment; Announces Proposed Settlement for Center Of Excellence
Bridgewater, NJ – At a press conference at the Bridgewater Municipal Council Chambers this morning, Mayor Matthew C. Moench declared Bridgewater’s victory against reckless overdevelopment and announced a new proposed settlement on the Center of Excellence site. He was joined by all five members of the Township Council, members of the Planning and Zoning Boards, and resident advocates who vehemently opposed this project as originally conceived.
“I am proud to tell the residents of Bridgewater that their voices have been heard and their wishes have prevailed,” said Mayor Moench. “ The Township has, in principle, entered into a settlement agreement with Advance Realty which fundamentally changes the original planned development on the Center for Excellence site.”
The Mayor continued, “The original plan called for an enormous residential and commercial multiplex which would have involved 400 apartments, a 124-room hotel, an 80,000 square foot grocery store and 200,000 square feet of retail.
“Today, we have a settlement which involves no apartments, no hotel, no grocery store, and just 30,000 square feet of light retail. Instead, the site will host biotechnology, life sciences, light manufacturing and light warehousing–all of which are consistent with the pre-existing 202/206 tech corridor,” he went on.
Mayor Moench emphasized that Councilmen Howard Norgalis and Filipe Pedroso were both instrumental in their efforts to protect residents from this project as originally designed. “Let there be no mistake: this victory would not have happened without Howard and Filipe. The residents of Bridgewater have them to thank that we are standing here today,” the Mayor said.
“It has been a long seven years since the Center Of Excellence plan came before the Bridgewater Council. My opposition to the scope of the original, plan (400 homes, large supermarket, hotel and commercial retail component) was that the plan was simply “over development” and totally inconsistent with the character of the neighborhood,” said Councilman Howard Norgalis. “Today we have a totally new plan, one that represents a true partnering between the developer, Mayor and Council. It respects our residents and provides a reduced impact yet a robust plan that will serve our town well into the future. I am proud to support it.”
“This is a massive win for the people of Bridgewater,” said Councilman Tim Ring. “This project was in conflict with the character and needs of Bridgewater from the start. Development is critical for any thriving community, but 202/206 is a place for biotechnology and light industry, not dense residential living and overwhelming commercial expansion. The residents of Bridgewater deserve to determine the future of their own town, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
Mayor Moench also noted that the site would not host any “mega-warehouses.¹” The proposed plan limits warehousing to a 125,000 square foot maximum per building and a 300,000 square foot maximum in total.
Both the draft settlement and a corresponding draft ordinance were released to the public at the press conference (video of the conference can be found here) and will be available on the Township’s website later today.
The Township Council will hold a special meeting at 7:30PM on Thursday, June 16th in order to begin consideration of the ordinance. After the Township Council takes action, the Planning Board will also have to hear and vote on a revised site plan. All of these actions will appear on the Council and Planning Board agendas for public review and participation.
¹ Amazon warehouses routinely require square footage in excess of 800,000 or even 1 million square feet. |
