Three-year battle over warehouse in Edison ends with $12.8 million township land purchase
EDISON – A three-year battle, spearheaded by residents, to prevent a massive warehouse from being built in their South Edison neighborhood, where truck traffic would have further clogged local streets, is finally over.
During a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Sam Joshi, joined by three Township Council members and a group of neighborhood residents, announced that Edison has taken ownership of the 11-acre property in the Silver Lake and Glendale avenues area where the warehouse was planned, for $12.75 million, financed through a bond approved more than a year ago.
A title- and deed-signing ceremony was held on Silver Lake Avenue just off Woodbridge Avenue.
"I'm proud to say promises made, promises kept, no warehouses. This battle is over everyone," Joshi said.
Residents celebrated with applause and by popping a bottle.
"We crossed the finish line. This is exactly what we wanted, to preserve the quality of life in the neighborhood," said Ron Loeffler, who spearheaded the residents’ fight. Loeffler thanked the mayor for fulfilling his promise.
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"We're here because a lot of residents got together and woke up the neighborhood and the entire town to what was going to become excessive development. This was in part because our master plan had not been updated in a very long time. Neighborhoods across New Jersey are faced with the exact same problem we have right here. Fortunately, we were able to fight it." Joshi said. "There is no place for a warehouse in this neighborhood."
The mayor said he's excited about being able to protect the neighborhood. This the township's second largest land acquisition in about 30 years, Joshi said.
"This was not an easy battle. It was a three-year battle," he said, adding he was involved in intense negotiations with the former property owners and their attorneys.
"It's not easy to do these things but when folks like yourselves are on our side, we are able to do a lot of things," said Joshi who praised all the residents for their involvement and the Township Council members for putting funds aside for the deal.
Councilman Joseph Coyle, who was joined at the ceremony by Councilmen John Poyner and Asaf Shmuel, said he learned residents do not want warehouses as neighbors. He praises the residents for attending council meetings to voice their concerns, meeting with the mayor and focusing on making their community better.
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Joshi has expressed interest in pursuing a marina or waterfront recreation concept into any future use of the site but also is seeking input from residents. Loeffler is confident any future development will include open space because it’s a riverfront property.
"This is the last 10-plus acre site in this section of town. There is no more property this size," Loeffler said.
A former councilman, Joshi took office as mayor in 2022 and announced in his first State of the Township address that the town had reached an agreement to acquire the warehouse property as part of a town-wide effort to prevent more warehouses in residential areas and fight overdevelopment.
In December township officials said condemnation was being considered to acquire the property, because the former owner had not accepted the township's offer.
Neighborhood residents had been fighting plans by a Brooklyn developer to build a 146,893-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility along Silver Lake and Glendale avenues which was expected to bring more heavy truck traffic to the narrow streets in the neighborhood. The project called for driveway access on Silver Lake Avenue which is about 29 feet wide and lacks space for two trucks to pass, especially is vehicles are parked on both sides of the street.
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: Edison NJ Silver Lake warehouse battle ends with $12.8M land purchase
