Three developers pitch plans for National Lead
Large-scale plans each include 2,000 residences, retail, office space
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer
Three builders seeking to secure Sayreville's National Lead redevelopment project went public with their plans last week.

The proposed redevelopment of the former National Lead site by Riverbend Metropolitan Corp., of New Jersey, includes an MGM theater, a theme park, a sports complex, hotels and several marina slips. This drawing depicts the south marina view of the company's proposal.

Borough officials want to select a developer by Dec. 1, the deadline set by Middlesex County, which issued a $39 million loan that enabled the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA) to purchase the 400-acre defunct factory site in 2005.

While 12 development firms submitted proposals for the project earlier this year, the borough has narrowed that field to LCOR Inc., of New York City, Riverbend Metropolitan Corp., of New Jersey, and O'Neill Properties, of King of Prussia, Pa. Each of those firms made a presentation at an Oct. 11 SERA meeting.

A fourth major firm, Forest City Enterprises, was slated to present its plans last week as well, but withdrew just prior to the meeting. SERA Executive Director Randy Corman told Greater Media Newspapers that Forest City and SERA mutually agreed that the firm's proposal was not a good fit for the borough.

"Their proposal involved significant municipal funding for infrastructure that the other three did not," Corman said.

Forest City was one of the firms to make a pitch during an initial round of proposals that were reviewed in 2006. In that round, the borough selected LNR Northeastern Investments, but that company later withdrew from the project after reportedly being unable to negotiate a deal with National Lead Industries regarding cleanup of the site. The former factory owner is still responsible for addressing the property's contamination.

At last week's meeting, O'Neill Properties proposed more than 2.3 million square feet of lifestyle retail space and over 800,000 square feet of "big box" retail, for a total of more than 3.1 million square feet in retail alone. The developer also proposed 48 marina slips.

The firm also proposed 2,000 residential units, which is the maximum allowed in the redevelopment plan.

O'Neill Properties Executive Vice President Richard F. Heany said the proposal changed three times in the company's effort to adjust to current market conditions. Heany spoke mostly about the firm's qualifications and prior experience.

Riverbend proposed an athletic facility with a Great Wolf Lodge and an indoor water park. The developer also proposed 1 million square feet of indoor mall space, 700,000 square feet of outdoor lifestyle mall space, three hotels and a convention center. There would also be 2,000 residential units, the same number proposed by the other firms.

Riverbend's experience with destinations such as Disney Paris, and Universal Studios Florida and Spain led to its proposal of a downtown similar to Disney's with an MGM theater, its representatives said.

The site would also have a variety of residential properties.

Riverbend Principal Bart Oates, the retired NFLplayer, presented New Jersey Devils hockey player Ken Daneyko as one of the partners in the venture. The plan allows for an opportunity to design a world-class sports complex with a swimming area, a basketball court and a wellness center, as well as an ice hockey rink that the Devils would use for performance training, Oates said. Another Riverbend representative said the entertainment zone would offer lower rates for borough residents.

LCOR proposed 2 million square feet of retail, 1.7 million square feet of office space and 300,000 square feet of hotel space. The firm's proposal includes an amphitheater at the river's edge, and 2,000 residential units. The company may go with the name "Woods Landing" for the project, since that was the moniker that the site bore historically, according to an LCOR representative.

Included in the plan is an entertainment center on the east side of the property that would include a cinema and restaurants.

The residential portion includes multifamily housing designed to accommodate empty nesters and young couples primarily, but an LCOR representative said that the firm would not impose any age restrictions.

The majority of parking for the LCOR project would be garages or decks, which would likely be blended in with the commercial office properties. LCOR representatives also mentioned opportunities to preserve open space with a system of trails on the site, as well as boardwalks along the waterfront.

LCOR's proposal encompasses the entire site, including an adjacent 56 acres that the borough is seeking to add to the redevelopment zone. However, some of that acreage is the subject of a lawsuit involving business owners who object to being included. LCOR acknowledged that this property is the subject of legal action.

The 56 acres being sought includes the former Amboy Cinemas property, and all three developers proposed ideas for that site, which is abandoned and not under dispute.

The three firms all expressed interest in capitalizing on the view of the Raritan River waterfront, saying they want to make the shoreline public and accessible to the community. The developers also expressed an interest in using union labor during construction. Union members in the audience at the meeting applauded when each developer pledged to use a union workforce.

Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O'Brien, who previously served as a SERA commissioner, said he is concerned about what he described as a "limited amount of outreach that has been made to the community."

O'Brien, a Republican whose attempts to be reappointed to SERA were rejected by the all-Democrat Sayreville Borough Council, addressed SERA after the developers' presentations, saying he is confident that Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel would grant the agency another extension on the loan in the interest of getting maximum public input for the project.

O'Brien noted that an open house was held last year at the Sayreville Senior Center on the initial round of proposals, and that almost 400 residents attended. The meeting last week drew roughly 50 people to borough hall, but most were employees of the development firms or union members, O'Brien said.

"I am disappointed that this round in the selection process does not have a strong public input component," O'Brien wrote in a letter to the agency that he read aloud at the meeting. "I understand you plan to post the proposals on a Web site, which I do not think is adequate. The people of Sayreville should have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the developers and should be able to easily compare each proposal."

SERA Commissioner Michael D'Addio said the public made it clear what they are looking for during the open house in 2006.

"I don't see any reason to ask them again," D'Addio said.

SERA Chairman Renny Travisano said the commissioners will discuss O'Brien's suggestion to hold a large open house.

Corman noted that the ideas presented in the three developers' proposals are subject to change as the market changes, and everything has to be negotiated. The developer that is selected, he added, will have to come up with $19 million to pay for additional classroom space for the Board of Education.

"Halfway through the process, we'll see," Corman said. "If more school-age children are being generated, they'll have to pay more.

"All of the proposals are very competitive," Corman added, "and I know our professionals are putting in long hours to provide all of the commissioners the information they need to make a decision in time to make the county deadline, which is only six weeks away."