'Nothing is perfect': Bridgewater OKs first phase of massive Route 202-206 development
BRIDGEWATER – By a unanimous vote, the Planning Board has given final approval for a plan to build two warehouses and a research/office building in the first phase of the Peters Brook Innovation Center on Route 202-206.
The Board also gave preliminary approval for the rest of project, which includes three more research/office buildings and two retail buildings, one of which will have a drive-thru.
In all, Advance Realty Investors' development will total 940,000 square feet, the largest project in the township since the construction of the Bridgewater Commons mall more than 30 years ago,
"Is it a perfect application?" Township Councilman Tim Ring, who also sits on the Planning Board, said at Tuesday's meeting. "Nothing is perfect."
But board members seemed to agree that the plans for the Peters Brook Innovation Center are better than the former The Bridge, or commonly called the Center of Excellence, proposal approved by the Board in 2019 but got hung up in litigation.
The Peters Brook Innovation Center will occupy 61 acres at the south end of the former Sanofi campus on Route 202-206. The Center of Excellence is an office and research complex in the northern portion of the property which Advance sold to Thor Equities for $152 million. When Advance sold to Thor, the proposed mixed-use development, which included a ShopRite, hotel and apartment building, on the southern part of the property was renamed The Bridge.
The property, between Route 202-206 and Interstate 287, was originally developed by American Hoechst which sold it to Sanofi which then moved about a mile north on Route 202-206. Sanofi has recently announced plans to leave Bridgewater and relocate to Morristown.
Crime: Bridgewater woman assaulted, robbed behind Blessed Sacrament Church; suspect sought: cops
Township Administrator Michael Pappas, who also sits on the Planning Board, said the new proposal, reached as a result of negotiations to settle the litigation between the township and Advance, would generate "significantly less traffic" than the previous project.
Ring also warned that if the Board did approve the new plan, the approval for The Bridge was still in effect.
Ring said the Peters Brook Innovation Center would generate more "high-paying jobs" than The Bridge with its hotel and supermarket components.
Ring also emphasized that another traffic study would be conducted before final approval is given for phases II and III of the development so that any traffic issues could be "fixed."
Nicole Dory, attorney for the developer, said the Peters Brook Innovation Center is a "first-class project" that will attract "high-quality tenants" and be a benefit to Somerset County.
She added that the development will "transform" a site that has been vacant for more than a decade.
Nearby residents had mounted an aggressive campaign against The Bridge because they said it would worsen the existing congestion on Route 202-206. The development became a key issue in the 2019 GOP primary for mayor when Matthew Moench defeated incumbent Dan Hayes. Moench later won the general election and is running for reelection this year.
Moench, who also sits on the Planning Board, did not attend Tuesday's meeting when the Board vote was taken.
Local: Bridgewater gets federal money to fix flooding issues
Despite the residents' protests, the Planning Board voted to approve The Bridge plan late in 2019. But when the composition of the Board changed in the Moench administration, the final approval met a roadblock over whether Advance should present final floor plans for the ShopRite and hotel. Advance then filed suit against the township.
In June 2022, Advance and the township reached a settlement before the case went to trial.
The settlement called for the township to 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 settlement proposes no one warehouse can be more than 125,000 square feet, about twice the size of a football field, with no more than 250,000 square feet of warehousing as a primary use.
The township will 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.
What's the Peters Brook Innovation Center?
A mixed-use development of eight buildings totaling 940,276 square feet between Route 202-206 and Interstate 287, a site originally developed by American Hoechst which sold it to Sanofi which then moved about a mile north on Route 202-206. Sanofi has recently announced plans to leave Bridgewater and relocate to Morristown.
By comparison, the Bridgewater Commons is 970,000 square feet.
The eight buildings are:
Four three-story and four-story research and office buildings;
Two one-story warehouses;
Two retail pads, with space for a drive-thru establishment.
Phase One
One-story warehouse of approximately 124,988 square feet;
One-story warehouse of approximately 124,990 square feet;
A three-story 172,082-square-foot research/office building;
The two warehouses total 249,978 square feet, more than the size of four football fields.
The next phases
One four-story 153,803-square-foot research and office building;
One four-story 153,803-square-foot research and office building with a garage;
One four-story 200,610-square-foot research and office building;
One one-story 5,000-square-foot retail building with a drive-thru;
One one-story 5,000-square-foot retail building.
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.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bridgewater NJ OKs first phase of massive Route 202-206 development
