After the fire: Atlantic Coast a step closer to rebuilding recycling center in Passaic

Atlantic Coast Fibers cleared another hurdle in its efforts to rebuild a recycling plant to replace the one in Passaic destroyed by a fire in January 2021.

The recycling plant proposal, which calls for a facility "slightly bigger" than the one that was destroyed, was approved by the city's Planning Board.

Chris Riviello, one of Atlantic Coast's owners, said that although his company still needs state approval to rebuild, it hopes to start construction in the fall.

The facility will measure 118,000 square feet, Riviello said, adding, "We are still in the final stages of design."

The former building, which was about 100,000 square feet, burned for days after a fire broke out on a frigid January night.

If it receives final approval and is built, the $20 million recycling processing plant will rehire 110 of the approximately 130 employees who lost their jobs due to the fire.

"Some of these have worked with us for 20 years," Riviello said of the employees. He said he expects a reduction in staff "because of increased efficiencies."

Before it burned down, the $11 million plant was one of the most modern and efficient single-stream recycling facilities in New Jersey, the company's website notes.

The company now is shipping much of its business to other recycling sites around the state, including Atlantic Coast's other location in Ocean County.

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Since the 1930s, the company has seen an almost continuous stream of trucks hauling bales of newspapers, bins of glass jars and sheets of metal into its 5-acre property at Seventh and Lodi streets in Passaic.

It was started as Rivsec Recycling by the Riviello family and was eventually renamed Atlantic Coast Fibers Inc. in the 1980s. There were several mergers and acquisitions in recent decades, but the company was eventually sold back to the original owners in 2003.

The return of jobs and property taxes is good news for the city, said Mayor Hector Lora.

Before the fire, Atlantic Coast was paying roughly $122,000 in property taxes. The 5.2 acres of land are assessed at $1.79 million and bring in $67,000 in property taxes without a building.

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"Once the fire occurred, we had to remove the improvement value but still collect the land tax," Lora said.

An added bonus is that Atlantic Coast's 5 acres include a section along the river, which would allow the city to continue to assemble rights of way for a river walk that ultimately could run from Market Street to Monroe Street.

As part of the approval, Atlantic Coast agreed to grant the city a 16-foot-wide easement for the walk.

Riviello said if the plans stay on track, the new facility should open in the third quarter of 2023.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic NJ: Atlantic Coast to rebuild recycling center after fire