Redevelopment project remains on schedule

Despite a federal lawsuit recently filed against 11 entities involved with the former National Lead site, the longplanned redevelopment project dubbed Sayreville Seaport will move forward.

Plans for the massive waterfront redevelopment will go on despite the lawsuit filed by Edison Wetlands Association (EWA) and the NY/NJ Baykeeper and Raritan Riverkeeper. The groups allege that the 11 parties, including the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA), have contributed to pollution in the Raritan River. The lawsuit states that the defendants violated the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Clean Water Act.

The environmental groups said their lawsuit seeks to stop the discharge of pollutants and sediments into the Raritan River, because this has presented a danger to human health and the environment.

In addition to SERA, the defendants include National Lead Industries, Middlesex County, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Sayreville Seaport Associates, O'Neill Properties Group and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Mike Baker, SERA's attorney, said that despite the heavy litigation costs anticipated to result from the lawsuit, the project will remain on schedule.

"It will be an unnecessary added expense for all concerned," Baker said.

O'Neill Properties Group, a Pennsylvania based building firm, selected by SERA for the redevelopment project, recently purchased the 400-plus acre land after reaching agreements with SERA, Middlesex County and National Lead Industries. O'Neill's project would include 2,000 residences, a marina, a performing arts center, offices, retail, and over 1.1 million square feet allocated to a hotel and convention center.

The estimated time for completion, which was originally projected to take 10 years, depending on the economy, will remain the same, according to Baker. Currently, the focus of the project is on remediation, as O'Neill Properties works to decontaminate the site.

"At present everything that is being done in terms of remediation is being done on track and on budget," said Joseph Ambrosio, executive director of SERA.

Currently, the land known as Parcel A is being cleaned up. Once that has been completed, the rest of the remediation and construction will take place in stages, according to Baker.

"The remediation work on Parcel A, the waterfront parcel preserved for open space, is ongoing and is moving on very nicely," said Baker. "It's a very large property, 425-plus acres, so once that's cleaned up and development [has] started it can be built in stages."

But the next phase of the redevelopment process will not begin for some time, as there is still a great deal of remediation that has to be completed beforehand.

"The developer has [drawn up] concept plans, but we're in the cleanup period of the property now, which will go on for many more months," Baker said.

Despite the Borough Council's approval last year of the redevelopment plan and a zoning ordinance, the borough Planning Board will still have to review and approve building plans.

"The council last year approved the changes to the redevelopment and zoning plan that would allow the development to go forward, [but] there is still a whole Planning Board process," Baker said.