Bridgewater, developer agree to major changes in massive Route 202-206 redevelopment plan

BRIDGEWATER – No grocery store, hotel or apartments will be built in the Center of Excellence development on the former Sanofi campus on Route 202-206, Mayor Matt Moench announced Monday.

Instead, as part of a settlement of litigation with Advance Realty Investors, the township will allow a maximum of 300,000 square feet of warehouses and 30,000 square feet of restaurant and retail development that is intended mostly to serve the people who are working at the site.

The township will also allow research laboratories and facilities, medical offices and light manufacturing. One drive-thru restaurant will be allowed if it is set back 125 feet from the highway.

The settlement proposes no one warehouse can be more than 125,000 square feet, about twice the size of a football field, in no more than 250,000 square feet of warehousing as a primary use. The remaining 50,000 square feet can be warehousing for use by other tenants.

The original plan for the development, later called The Bridge, proposed an 80,000-square-foot ShopRite, a 100-room hotel and 400 apartments, 40 of which would’ve been affordable units. The original plan also called for 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

"We are thrilled to celebrate a win for the people of Bridgewater, a win against overdevelopment and a win for responsible community-driven development that fits our needs," Moench said.

"It’s a great day for Bridgewater," he said.

Peter Cocoziello Jr., principal at Advance Realty Investors, said the company looks forward to "continued collaboration as we convert this common vision to reality."

"Today’s announcement is the product of significant effort on both sides," he said in a statement. "We at Advance have diligently listened, responding to the input of our neighbors, and we commend Mayor Moench, the Council, and Bridgewater’s team of professionals for their efforts in facilitating a viable path toward redevelopment."

The settlement, however, presents one challenge for Bridgewater: developing a plan where to locate the 40 affordable rental units that were part of the township's settlement of its affordable housing litigation.

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Moench said the township will present a plan within the next few months to meet its affordable housing requirement.

The settlement ends the legal fight between the township and Advance over the controversial development which was met with widespread community opposition primarily over the traffic that would be generated by the supermarket, hotel and apartments.

Moench thanked the residents – including Jeff Foose, Andy Fresco, Laura Whelan and Geri Staub – who "raised the alarm" about the development and rallied public opinion.

After it was first proposed in 2014, the Township Council adopted a redevelopment plan for the property in 2016 without much community comment, but opposition swelled once planning board hearings began.

Despite opponents packing the hearings, the Planning Board approved the plan in December 2019 weeks after Moench was elected mayor.

Moench won the primary for the Republican nomination for mayor that June over incumbent Dan Hayes who supported the project, which had become the dominant political issue in the township.

When Moench became mayor in January 2020, the composition of the Planning Board changed, and the board's formal adoption of the plan was delayed because the board required the developer to present final floor plans for the ShopRite and hotel.

That prompted Advance to go to court, claiming that the Planning Board was delaying action to give the township “a second bite at the apple.” The developer also argued that the imposition of a "last-minute" and "draconian" condition of approval – requiring a future site plan application for the hotel and supermarket – is a "concerted effort" to delay the project.

But retired Superior Court Judge Thomas Miller in November 2020 agreed with the township, prompting Advance to file an appeal which had been pending since.

Moench said the settlement shows that "promises made must eventually become promises kept."

In his 2019 campaign, Moench promised that he would protect the township from "reckless overdevelopment."

The development, the largest construction project proposed in Bridgewater since the Bridgewater Commons in the 1980s, "would have had a severely detrimental effect on the lives of Bridgewater residents" by adding traffic, overcrowding schools and "taken away from the suburban charm of our town," Moench said.

In the past few months, Moench said, the township and Advance "have been able to forge a productive working relationship and engaged in good faith negotiation," reaching an outcome "favorable for all."

"With the new plan for the Center of Excellence site, everybody wins," Moench said. "Especially, and most importantly, the people of Bridgewater."

He said the settlement "listens to the wishes of Bridgewater residents and gives them the respect they deserve."

Councilman Howard Norgalis, who said he "didn't like it from the beginning," said "Bridgewater got a good deal from this" though it may not be "a perfect plan."

The next steps are for the Township Council to accept the settlement and change the property's zoning. Then Advance will present a site plan to the Planning board for public hearings and approval.

In 2019, Advance sold the northern portion of the property, still known as the Center of Excellence, to Thor Equities for $152 million while retaining the southern portion for the project, then renamed The Bridge.

Moench said the settlement sends a message to developers that "you have to work with us."

The mayor also said Bridgewater must "support" existing businesses because the township doesn't want "to end up with empty campuses."

Councilman Timothy Ring said the settlement is a "huge win for all residents of Bridgewater" but, he warned, "it's not the end of the fight of overdevelopment in Bridgewater."

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bridgewater NJ: Route 202-206 redevelopment plan settled