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CENTRAL NORTHWEST BERGEN
Kodak site could develop into housing, offices
Friday, March 16, 2007
By GIOVANNA FABIANO
STAFF WRITER
Bye-bye, factories. Hello, tree-lined office space, cafes and town houses.
Behold the future of the Route 208 industrial park, currently home to the Nabisco cookie factory and about 134 other manufacturing companies.
Though still in draft form, a new study by the Fair Lawn Economic Development Corp. outlines a concept plan that would transform the 210-acre park in Fair Lawn and Glen Rock from a strictly industrial site to a mixed-use development, featuring commercial office space, restaurants and residential housing.
The corporation, in conjunction with both boroughs, is moving quickly to create a coherent vision for the park as manufacturing plants continue to reduce their operations or shut down entirely, as the Kodak film-processing plant did in 2005.
The plan is still a work in progress, and the EDC will ask municipal and state officials, as well as residents, for input in coming months, said Don Smartt, EDC administrator.
If adopted, the plan could change the zoning at the park from industrial to areas of commercial, mixed-use and multi-family affordable housing units.
The study, which began in July and cost about $48,000 – the majority of the money coming from a Smart Growth Grant – fell in line with a national and regional trend veering away from manufacturing.
The park has already seen rapid changes in the last few years:
Kodak closed in August 2005 at a cost of 220 jobs. The plant was demolished, and the 10-acre property is under contract to the Wilf Corp., which owns the Minnesota Vikings.
Sandvik, a European firm, reduced its manufacturing capability at the site by 50 percent within the last year, laying off 100 people. The company wants to turn the remaining vacant half of the plant into office space, Smartt said.
Lea & Perrins, famous for its Worcestershire sauce, has also vacated half its facility.
Nabisco has not announced plans to vacate the industrial park anytime soon, but the plan envisions the cookie factory moving eventually, calling for new roadway connections and developments on the 40-acre site.
Nabisco cut 100 jobs at its plant in spring 2003 when the production of Fig Newtons moved to Mexico.
But the site most affected by the plan in the immediate future would be Kodak, where developers for the Wilf Corp. -- owned by New Jersey shopping-mall magnate Zygmunt Wilf -- proposed a plan that calls for predominantly residential housing.
The EDC's vision plan would allow for a mixed-use affordable housing district, featuring mainly commercial development, with at least 30 percent of residential development set aside for affordable housing.
Smartt said the EDC sent the developer a copy of the plan and is waiting to hear back.
Officials said the move to transform the park is meant to boost ratables.
"The study is a good blueprint that keeps the concept of a business park but brings it in line with where we're going in New Jersey, with higher-end office buildings and some retail to complement the businesses that are already there," said Fair Lawn Mayor Steve Weinstein.
Officials are looking to attract banks, financial institutions, computer and data processing centers, as well as restaurants, service businesses and other stores that would accommodate employees of the park. Columbia Bank already has a branch in the park.
Traffic is the biggest concern about the plan, Smartt said. Route 208 near the park tends to turn into a bottleneck during rush hour.
"We're not seeking to create a Paramus/Route 4 situation along Route 208," Smartt said. "We want this to be a safer district, and each development that goes in there will impact traffic flow."
E-mail: fabiano@northjersey.com
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Fast facts
The Fair Lawn Economic Development Corp. has created a concept plan for the future of the Route 208 Corridor Industrial Park, which spans 210 acres in Fair Lawn and Glen Rock. The plan proposes changing an area filled with manufacturing plants into a tree-lined office park with restaurants, stores and town houses.
Here is how the EDC proposes to deal with traffic in and around the park:
Provide an additional access road through the southern gateway into the Kodak property.
Create a new connection between McBride Avenue and Harristown Road to provide additional access.
Work with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and Bergen County to improve the existing traffic pattern at the Maple Avenue ramp and the Maple Avenue/Harristown Road intersection.
Realign Pollit Drive and the Pollit Drive extension to create a safer "T" intersection that would also allow for a four-way intersection into the Kodak site.
Work with NJ Transit and Fair Lawn to provide shuttle service from the Radburn train station to the business park.
Improve the existing sidewalk system to provide pedestrian connections between businesses, retail services and the train station.
Source: Draft of the Route 208 Corridor Study and Vision Plan
"Based in Short Hills, N. J., Garden Commercial Properties (a subsidiary of Garden Homes) is a privately-held development company with a tradition of over 50 years of varied commercial and residential development experience. Garden Commercial owns and manages more than 25 million square feet of retail and commercial space located throughout New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, California and Florida. The company ranks among the top 20 in “retail property owners and mangers” in the United States. New commercial development exceeds one million square feet annually. For more information, visit www.gardencommercial.com." The firm developed and manages the Fair Lawn Commons (Route 208 Northbound, and adjacent to the Kodak site).
Representatives for the firm noted in presentations before the council and before the trustees of the Economic Development Corporation the following project highlights.
The developer has extensive real estate holdings – home sites, apartments, retail and office complexes throughout the tri-state area – including the Fair Lawn Commons in Fair Lawn. The site approximates 10 acres and the developer proposes a mixed use with:
- a retail component on the ground floor and residential units above a nostalgic streetscape scene with fountains
and direct access from Route 208;
- a 30,000 to 40,000 square foot retail space to accommodate a smaller supermarket;
- age restricted and affordable housing;
- a mix of owner and rental units – Brownstone Duplex model
- the ability to connect internally to Fair Lawn Commons – since the developer already owns that site – to take
traffic off the Route 208 overpass and Fair Lawn Avenue
- surface parking with no decks at present
Environmental issues will be addressed by the owner, Kodak, with the soil already remediated; and
groundwater contamination is to be addressed for acceptance by the NJDEP for residential development on the site. The acquisition is subject to an action letter regarding the ground water contamination. The density was noted to be between 13 and 15 units per acre, totaling about 150 residential units (1- and 2-bedroom units), as compared to a 17.65 per acre density at Fair Lawn Commons.
The complex would offer a first story retail with a maximum of 3 additional stories of residential space. The maximum building height would approximate 40-45 feet.
The developer for the site would be an active participant for COAH in both Round 2 and 3 of the obligations, providing approximately a 20% factor and/or financial obligation for the Borough. The acquisition is currently in a 60-day ‘due diligence’ window, and the Wilf organization will make a decision without prior approvals. The retail component was thought not to be in conflict with, but rather will supplement, local retail stores.
This information is presented by the EDC as a community service. Further updates will be posted as they become available.
The designs were developed:
Allen Weitzman, AIA, Partner, Studio 5 Partnership, Architects/Planners LLC
Heritage Plaza II
65 Harristown Road
Glen Rock, NJ 07452
201-652-0555 x215
aweitzman@studio5p-architects.com
The Fair Lawn Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is a public/private partnership bringing together the Borough of Fair Lawn’s commercial property owners, business operators, residents and organized business districts. The purpose is to establish a local EDC to advocate, facilitate and coordinate the strengthening of Fair Lawn’s economic and commercial vitality. The primary role of the EDC lies in the advocacy in arenas of local impact.”