Redevelopment

The township needs to re-brand two of its commercial zones, modify some zoning regulations and attract a major indoor sports complex development, the Township Council was told at an Aug. 16 special meeting. Those were some of the recommendations for the township’s Hamilton Street Business District and Corporate Business Park zones presented by the township’s consultant, Todd Poole of Hopewell-based …

The South Middlebush Road property eyed for a temple and gathering hall is up for sale. The 16-acre parcel at 630 South Middlebush Road, which includes a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home, is listed at $1.2 million. The land, which abuts Snyder’s Farm,  is currently owned by the Dada Bhagwan Vignan Institute, which paid $915,000 for it in 2015. The institute had …

The old Somerset County Social Services building on Franklin Boulevard would give way to a new, four-story mixed use development under a plan proffered by the Rev. DeForest “Buster” Soaries. Soaries’ Corporate Community Connections, Inc. owns the property, plans for which include razing the current building and building a new structure with retail, office and residential units. Soaries is senior …

A 151-unit apartment complex in the Churchill redevelopment area was approved May 17 by the Planning Board. The project will be the fourth in that area by its developer, RPM Redevelopment Group of Montclair. The project will consist of five, 3-story buildings, with the centerpiece being a nearly half-acre park. The units will contain 1-, 2- and 3-bedrooms. The project …

The Hamilton Street Advisory Board will ask the Township Council for a modification to the township’s anti-graffiti ordinance. Board members decided at their April 3 meeting to make a suggestion that the ordinance’s compliance time be shortened from 90 days to 30 days. The request originated with the FTPD’s community police team members, who said a shorter time frame would …

Plans for a 15,000-square-foot restaurant and retail store project on a site once occupied by an historic Franklin Park building were approved Jan. 18 by the Planning Board. The developer, S4 Estates, has yet to secure the retail tenants, the board was told. Part of the site, located at 3059 Route 27, was once the home of Chauncey’s Pub, which …

A plan to redevelop the Econo Lodge property on Easton Avenue into a suite hotel, an assisted living center and a QuickChek convenience store are under review by township planning staff. The application should go before the township Zoning Board of Adjustment in December, said Mark Healey, the township’s chief planner. Plans submitted by the applicant, Engel Burman at Somerset, call …

Preliminary plans for a 151-apartment project in the township’s Churchill-Millstone Redevelopment Area were presented June 20 to the Redevelopment Agency. Plans call for 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments – some in a townhouse design – with two new streets and a common green area. The roughly 5-acre target area is bordered by Berry Street and School Avenue. The project will be …

Applications for three developments that promise to change the look of the Hamilton Street business district will be heard by township planners during March. Two of the projects are new, while one is currently before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The first of the new projects to be heard – it’s scheduled for the Planning Board’s March 2 meeting – would result in …

The Zoning Board of Adjustment got its first peek at a proposed retail/residential development on Hamilton Street, a project township officials hope will herald the renaissance of the business district. The proposal, made by Recon Services LLC of Rocky Hill, is for a building encompassing the block of Hamilton Street between Ambrose and Home streets, the ground floor of which would …