Those plans, which will be presented to this township's planning board on a date next month to be determined, will have some emphasis on big-box retail. The majority of that space, according to an official with knowledge of the plans, would be tied up in two 150,000-sf freestanding stores, with Wal-Mart and Lowe's expected to be the occupants.

The remaining 147,000 sf would be made up of seven separate buildings with a combination of retail and office tenants, as well as community uses, according to officials of Flemington Fair & Speedway Corp., which acquired the site nearly three years ago from a private owner. Company officials have also indicated publicly that about one-half of the site will be retained as open space.

The project has been in the planning stages since late 2001 when the planning board recommended to the Raritan Township Committee, which has the final say, that the site's zoning be changed from industrial to mixed use.

One possible hitch is a legal challenge to that decision on the part of a local nonprofit group, the Citizens for Parkland, which has been pushing for substantially more open space and minimal commercial development. The group's lawsuit is pending, with a hearing currently slated for Jan. 30 in Superior Court in Flemington.

Officials of Flemington Fair & Speedway Corp. have not released any information on a timeline for the site's redevelopment, and have not publicly put a price tag on their project, pending next month's presentation before the planning board.

Instant Insights /

447,000-SF MXD Planned for Former Fairgrounds

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