​MIDDLETOWN DESERVES BETTER.
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Much to our disappointment, the Planning Board approved the Village 35 commercial project. This was done without the Board knowing all the traffic data and environmental facts. 

Now the Township Committee is free to approve the commercial aspect of the Redevelopment Plan. 
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BUT WAIT!  
WE STILL HAVE A LAWSUIT GOING AGAINST THE TOWNSHIP.  

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 Minding Middletown LLC, the parent company of Stop Village 35, has filed a lawsuit challenging the Township’s “area in need of redevelopment” designation.

This was done on the advice of our Legal team as the best way to  stay involved in the outcome of the project. It’s the necessary next step in our efforts to fight overdevelopment in Middletown. 

The Challengers who represent our endeavor against the Village 35 redevelopment plan include:
• Land Use/ Redevelopment Legal:  Litwin & Provence, LLC
• Planning expert: Marta Lefsky



WHY WE ARE SUING THE TOWN:

1. As major stakeholders, residents and taxpayers of Middletown, we want a voice in what's being developed in our Town.
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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. 

​The developer does not pay market rate taxes (like us home owners or any other commercial business) and the Township does not have to pay taxes toward Education (which is 62% of home owner taxes in Middletown). 

In other words, 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, it already had development contracts in place before the Town pushed through the designation!

Sadly, the only way for tax-paying residents to be heard and to be considered stakeholders in their town is to have Legal representation. 

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VILLAGE 35 REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

ABOUT 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:

• 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

All equates to lower property values and lowered quality of life.

COMMERCIAL PORTION

• Developer: NRDC
• Site plan review start date: March 2019
• 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

RESIDENTIAL PORTION

• Developer: Toll Brothers
• Site plan review start date: May 2019
• 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

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.

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LARGER THAN THE MONMOUTH MALL. 1/2 MILE FRONTAGE ON RT 35.

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OUR CONCERNS

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GET INVOLVED

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.

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