Development prospects arrive at the Crossroads
Afew years ago there was a lot of controversy in Old Bridge about the township-owned Crossroads tract and the redevelopment plan that would govern it. The 500 acres of land near Routes 9 and 18, acquired from a developer in 1989, had long been targeted for economic development, but after many years, township officials thought it best to rezone the area for agerestricted housing, office and medical buildings, warehouses, eateries and hotel/convention centers.

The Township Council's 6-3 vote in September 2004 to adopt the redevelopment plan was the subject of seemingly endless debate. Critics asked why the township would want to invite new housing, even if it was restricted to senior citizens, and some said the land should be dedicated as open space. Many felt the governing body acted too swiftly in adopting the plan.

Proponents at the time, including Democratic Mayor Jim Phillips, said the zoning essentially holds the land to its initial purpose: bringing in economic development while allowing the type of housing that generates tax revenue.

Three years later, the Crossroads tract remains untouched, but that may not be for long. And many residents will be pleased to know that the plans on the table at present don't call for housing.

Some 300 acres of the land would be home to the Deep Run corporate campus, which would consist of four 350,000-square-foot, two-story data storage centers. The development has the potential to be an enormous boon to the township in terms of revenue, and Phillips believes that most people won't even know the buildings are there. That said, there are many concerns that will have to be worked out before this can be approved, and the developers have yet to submit an actual plan.

Nearby, Middlesex County officials have their eye on a 14.8-acre site at Marlboro and Greystone roads for a 180-bed extended-care facility. The county is offering the township about $1.9 million for the land, but the town will conduct an appraisal of its own. The location appears to make sense, given the cluster of other health-care and residential facilities in that section of town.

Both projects mean revenue for the township, and in an age when property taxes continue to shoot up due mostly to education costs, this factor should weigh heavily on the minds of township officials and residents. But as with any major project, the public should play a substantial role in determining what, if anything, can be built on the Crossroads site. While it is imperative that Old Bridge conducts a thorough and open review of these projects, at the outset they seem to represent an ideal use for these parcels.