Redevelopment plan unveiled for Metuchen’s Gulton factory site
METUCHEN – Plans for 272 apartments in a five-story building on the Gulton Tract will come before the borough Planning Board next week.
212 Durham Urban Renewal, part of Klein Enterprises in Baltimore, is seeking site plan approval for the project on Durham Avenue which is scheduled for a public hearing before the Planning Board at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15.
The developer is looking to demolish three structures on the property. Of the 272 apartments, six would be live-work units.
The plan calls for 364 parking spaces and a public access drive with 20 parallel parking spaces. An additional 55 parking spaces are proposed to be constructed at a later date in coordination with Middlesex County.
The 22-acre property has been designated as a redevelopment area in the Gulton Tract Redevelopment Plan.
Earlier this year the borough announced plans aimed at transforming the Gulton factory property, one of its largest remaining dilapidated industrial properties in the town, through Metuchen's first PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program, a method approved by the state to encourage redevelopment of properties through property tax abatements.
The site is across the street from the Sportsplex at Metuchen and to the right of the Krauszer's convenience store. Warehouses are currently located on the site.
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The Gulton tract is a contaminated former warehouse and factory site where batteries and battery parts were made for nearly a century. The property, which has undergone a $10 million environmental cleanup and the planting of 3,000 trees, is now owned by a private company. The property is bounded on the west by the borough-owned wooded wetlands within the Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve, borough officials have said.
The PILOT agreement is expected to result in $20 million to the borough over 30 years, after which the owner would pay property taxes.
With the $20 million, the borough is looking to earmark $6 million for the school district and using other PILOT funds to renovate the Metuchen Public Library, upgrade recreational fields and help provide for the down payment on a new emergency services facility to house the fire department and emergency medical services.
In addition, a 30-acre wildlife preserve is expected to receive $1 million in improvements such as boardwalk trails, signs and bridges.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Metuchen: Durham Avenue industrial redevelopment plan unveiled
