Redevelopment Overview
Many of the conditions, initiatives and objectives are similar for each Redevelopment area.
The Redevelopment must offer tangible benefits the Borough
Any Redevelopment must compliment the existing retail/commercial/residential structure of the Borough
Redevelopment must contribute to the long term financial well being of the Borough
Any Redevelopment must be community based, with input from as wide cross section of the community as possible
Factors that have made these projects a reality (not the least of which is the hard work of the Redevelopment Committees, Planning Board and Borough Council) is the energy and climate that has been created within all Borough departments. This climate encourages developers to create plans that meet the stated goals and objectives of the Borough – long term. If they do not meet these objectives we work with the applicant to modify their plans to be in line with ours, this way we have a win-win situation.
Who do we wish to attract?
What type of redevelopment?
Retail and Commercial
The pundits are out already predicting what type of retail and commercial tenants will and wont be attracted to our projects, some lament the lost opportunity of the big box type retail centers, others predict more antique stores? The truth is we don’t know exactly who the tenants will be, but we can tell you this, substantial national research indicates that many regional and smaller national retailers are growing tied of the mega-mall environment and are looking to move back to a more central location that offers similar foot traffic and lower total costs.
We will be working with our redevelopers to create tenant lists we believe will be of value to Somerville and its residents and not duplicates of businesses already on Main Street. An exception to this could be restaurants, it seems the more food establishments there are, the more vital the menus become, competition grows, more people come to town to visit and walk around – and hopefully spend a few dollars in neighboring retail establishments. We already have the infrastructure to manage this with the DMC.
Residential
The types of units planned or suggested, have been shown to attract either younger, affluent couples who wish to live in a downtown environment and commute to work, or either 40+ singles who seek the same life style or the empty nester, the couple who’s kids have left home to start their own life, who now find that they do not need the space they have and want to reduce costs and live in a more local environment. Our Redevelopment Areas will offer the types of living alternatives these folks are looking for.
For both categories, it comes down to location, Somerville is “Downtown Somerset County”; all transportation passes through our Borough, buses, trains, and cars. We have all the major arterial roads in central jersey within our boundaries or in the case of I78 a couple of miles away, we are accessible to all, the best location in the county and central New Jersey.
NJ Mayor's Institute on Community Design
The Projects:
The Landmark Center
The Somerville Landfill
The East End Area of town
Have questions or feedback about redevelopment? Fill out our form.
Click here