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Sept 1, 2020.
Due to the coronavirus, the Village 35 project has changed. We have spoken with the Middletown Planning Office and both the residential and commercial developers. Please note the current status of each project below. NRDC—commercial project: approximately 380,000 square feet of retail (Wegmans, 24 Hour Fitness, Cinemex dine-in theater) According to John Orrico, President of NRDC, the commercial mall project will NOT be proceeding as planned. The anchors of the mall, including Wegmans, have pulled out due to the pandemic, and this entire retail project, as planned by NRDC, is no longer happening. Toll Brothers —residential housing: 350 units According to Matt Marcovich, Vice President at Toll Bros., the residential project with 280 townhomes and 70 affordable housing units in three buildings will still proceed as planned. The project will likely begin construction in Spring 2021. Toll Bros. has re-applied to the Planning Office to allow optional rooftop decks on all the townhomes except the units located along Carriage Drive. COMMENTS It is our understanding that since the entire tract of land has been subdivided into two separate properties, if Toll Bros. wants to purchase the commercial portion of the tract to expand their project, they will not be permitted to do so under the current zoning or redevelopment plan. The approvals for these projects follow the properties, not the developers. NRDC has pulled out of the commercial project on the frontage of Route 35, but that does not mean that another developer cannot come in at a later date. If a new developer has a plan that differs from the current approved redevelopment or zoning plan, it would be be necessary for that developer to apply to the Township for zoning or variance changes. Whichever developer (Toll Bros. or a new commercial developer) builds first must still build the connector road. Since no commercial project is scheduled to be built at this time, Tindall Road and Twin Brooks Avenue will remain as they are with no new reconfigurations. If a new developer purchases the commercial portion of the tract, that developer will be obligated to address the Route 35 off-site road improvement requirements at that time. |
MIDDLETOWN DESERVES BETTER.
July 2016.
Our group, Minding Middletown LLC, the parent company of Stop Village 35, implored our community to get involved to change Village 35 from overdevelopment applications to an integrated “placemaking” center. This was a wake-up call for Middletown residents. Unfortunately, the residents who heeded the call found their ideas and concerns fell on the deaf ears of its Township Committee and Planning Board.
October 2019.
Middletown, NJ, officials approved all plans they co-designed with developers under what has been cited as a "charade," manufactured by the Township, for designating prime real estate to be one in need of redevelopment. Now approved, with PILOT agreements in place, residents fear the worst.
Facebook Watchdog Page,
The Township must be held accountable for its decisions. Our group, is dissolving its LLC. We are keeping the Stop Village 35 Facebook page active for the community to report, engage, and hold the Town responsible for any and all fall-out related to the Village 35 development.
Our group, Minding Middletown LLC, the parent company of Stop Village 35, implored our community to get involved to change Village 35 from overdevelopment applications to an integrated “placemaking” center. This was a wake-up call for Middletown residents. Unfortunately, the residents who heeded the call found their ideas and concerns fell on the deaf ears of its Township Committee and Planning Board.
October 2019.
Middletown, NJ, officials approved all plans they co-designed with developers under what has been cited as a "charade," manufactured by the Township, for designating prime real estate to be one in need of redevelopment. Now approved, with PILOT agreements in place, residents fear the worst.
Facebook Watchdog Page,
The Township must be held accountable for its decisions. Our group, is dissolving its LLC. We are keeping the Stop Village 35 Facebook page active for the community to report, engage, and hold the Town responsible for any and all fall-out related to the Village 35 development.
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Minding Middletown LLC, the parent company of Stop Village 35, filed a lawsuit challenging the Township’s “area in need of redevelopment” designation. October 2019: We lost.
The lawsuit was filed as the necessary next step in our efforts to fight overdevelopment in Middletown. WHY WE FILED: REASON 1. As major stakeholders, residents and taxpayers of Middletown, we wanted a voice in what's being developed in our Town. REASON 2. Area in need of redevelopment designation enables the Township and the developers to negotiate a PILOT (Payment in Lieu Of Taxes) agreement which is a scheme to encourage development. |
ABOUT PILOT (Payment in Lieu Of Taxes) AGREEMENTS:
The Developer does not pay market rate taxes (like we homeowners or any other commercial business), and the Township does not have to share PILOT revenue with the Board of Education (which is 62% of homeowner taxes in Middletown). With PILOT, neither the Township nor developers pay their fair share of taxes, in this case for prime real estate that did not need redevelopment incentive. The property already had development contracts in place before the Township pushed through the designation! |
VILLAGE 35 REDEVELOPMENT PLAN
WHY WE OPPOSED THE PLAN.
The Village 35 plan is absurdly large, 118+ acres, (larger than the Monmouth Mall), for an already congested Route 35 frontage location. The poorly planned road reconfigurations will not alleviate the enormous amounts of traffic coming to Route 35 and through our neighborhoods.
The Redevelopment Plan is not appropriate for the area, it presents:
The Village 35 plan is absurdly large, 118+ acres, (larger than the Monmouth Mall), for an already congested Route 35 frontage location. The poorly planned road reconfigurations will not alleviate the enormous amounts of traffic coming to Route 35 and through our neighborhoods.
The Redevelopment Plan is not appropriate for the area, it presents:
- congestion and density with no long-term sustainable vision for the community
- health & safety hazards related to traffic & pollution
- environmental destruction
- hardship on civic services — police, firefighters, EMTs
- compromised education in select schools
COMMERCIAL PORTION
- Developer: NRDC (National Retail Development Corp)
- Project Name: Shoppes At Middletown
- Commercial tract size: 45+ acres
- Development: 7 buildings, 342,000 square feet
- Parking: 1676 spaces (they want 141 more)
- Open Space: includes stormwater basins
- Recreational Open Space: none
- Buffer Landscaping: 3-inch caliper "shade" trees
- Site plan review was started: March 2019
RESIDENTIAL PORTION
- Developer: Toll Brothers
- Project Name: Middletown Walk
- Residential tract size: 66 acres
- 350 Residential Units. Two Subdivisons: Townhouse and Multi-Family
- 280 Market Rate Townhouses, on 62 acres
- 70 Affordable Housings units within 3 multi-family buildings, on 4 acres
- McClees Creek a Category One waterway is located within wetlands on the property
- Open Space: includes wetlands and stormwater basins
- Recreational Open Space: minimal
- Steep slopes will be disturbed
- Site plan review was started: May 2019
NRDC. SHOPPES AT MIDDLETOWN.
THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN'S COMMERCIAL TRACT.
APRIL 2019. NRDC's newest leasing plan.
COMMERCIAL TRACT.
NRDC's NEWEST PLAN:
- Wegmans (with a Pub)
- a dine-in Movie Theater (with a Sports Bar)
- at least 2 new liquor licenses
- stand-alone dining in the parking lot (A - C),
- office spaces (D)
- a block of retail space (2-5), that could be ANOTHER BIG BOX STORE, or a DEAD MALL in the making.
TOLL BROTHERS. MIDDLETOWN WALK.
THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN'S RESIDENTIAL TRACT.
LARGER THAN THE MONMOUTH MALL. 1/2 MILE FRONTAGE ON RT 35.
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WAKE UP, MIDDLETOWN!
Many residents are unaware of the Village 35 proposal. It's important the Developers & Planning Board know we are not going to sit idle and let the destruction of our community pass without a fight. SPEAK OUT: find the contacts needed to write letters, call, and email. ATTEND MEETINGS! find dates for important meetings we need to attend. |
