The township has taken another step in the long process of possibly redeveloping 31.82 acres it owns north of the Bridgewater Promenade, which a portion is used as the municipal yard waste recycling facility. The Planning Board has voted to recommend to the Township Council that the property should be named as a redevelopment area because it meets the state criteria for that designation.
Michael Sullivan, the township’s redevelopment planner, told the Planning Board that most of the property, about 27.7 acres, is wooded wetlands. The 3.43-acre yard waste recycling facility is the largest portion of the property that is buildable. The property is zoned for retail commercial uses, including stores, manufacturing, research labs, essential services and agriculture.
Township Administrator Michael Pappas, who also sits on the Planning Board, said the township’s plan “is to maintain a yard waste site somewhere on the parcel.” “We would be very unpopular very quickly if we did not offer that,” said Councilman Michael Kirsh, also a Planning Board member. Sullivan said one of the goals of redevelopment is to get “unproductive property” onto the property tax rolls. No taxes are collected on the property because it is owned by the municipality.