Central Jersey poised to become 'Silicon Valley of the East': NJ mayor

EAST BRUNSWICK – Central Jersey could become the Silicon Valley of the East Coast.

That's the vision of Mayor Brad Cohen who discussed the future of the region and the next phases of redevelopment in the township during an online presentation on Thursday.

East Brunswick cannot realize that vision on its own, he said.

"We need to do it with partnerships within the region and with a county and state that supports that type of growth and with residents that clearly understand the value of what we can have if we're able to bring this type of energy and excitement to this region," he said. "It could change us for the next generation."

Cohen said he's trying to attract high-quality companies to East Brunswick and while they may not be the size of Amazon, there are thousands of smaller companies that he'd be very happy to have in the township.

But Cohen said major companies are already moving to East Brunswick. For example, the mayor said, Wipro Limited, an international technology services and consulting company headquartered in India, expanded its space in the Tower Center on Route 18 to become its American headquarters.

He also said United Healthcare is opening a regional headquarters in the Towers.

"There's other tech companies and businesses that are already looking for spots here in East Brunswick and we haven't even started advertising," he said.

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The mayor also said that the remaining space at the former Kmart on Route 18 is going to be rented by Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.

In the first phase of redevelopment in the township, which Cohen called "Redevelopment 1.0," blight was removed and the township worked to fulfill its court-mandated affordable housing goals.

"The final thing that Redevelopment 1.0 did is it allowed the township to start thinking creatively about what a 21st century Route 18 corridor looks like," he said.

He said brick-and-mortar stores were disappearing and the township was now looking at a "live/work/play" model.

He said construction of the municipal ice rink, expected to begin by the end of the year, will attract people throughout the state and provide a "great" venue for residents.

More: East Brunswick's Tices Lane redevelopment readies for summer unveiling

Mid-State Mall recently rented the old bowling alley to a company that will make it an indoor swimming venue for lessons, he said, adding that the corridor is now home to Rock N Air and two major tennis centers.

Cohen said the township recently met with Middlesex County officials about East Brunswick’s parking decks to accommodate future growth in downtown New Brunswick where there is a lack of parking. The meeting was an opportunity "to maybe think on a grander scale," he said.

County officials expressed interest in perhaps renting space in the parking decks and shuttling people into New Brunswick, the mayor said.

The developer of Vermella East Brunswick and similar development in New Brunswick at the former Sears site, already announced that he's to develop a shuttle that takes residents of both communities to either the bus stations in East Brunswick or the train station in New Brunswick, the mayor said.

The mayor also said the reason why East Brunswick has sister cities in China and Israel is that those countries' industries are looking to find places in the U.S. and, hopefully, East Brunswick.That's why the township is exploring a relationship with cities in India, he said.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: 'Silicon Valley of the East' could be Central Jersey, NJ mayor says