Local officials appear poised to select from among four competing developers for the rights to develop the yet-to-be-named project. According to borough engineer Alan Dittenhofer, the four competitors are the Kalian Cos. of Red Bank, the Highland Park-based Kaplan Co., Millennium Homes of Carteret and the Bridgewater-based Helmetta Lenape LLC, an affiliate of Pizzo and Pizzo Builders and Developers.

Helmetta Lenape, the current owner of the site, had received borough council approval in the middle of last year to redevelop the property. But the two sides failed to achieve a developer's agreement within the allotted 30-day period, and the project was again up for grabs.

The current plan is also less dense that the earlier version, according to Dittenhofer, its current proposal for 225 units scaled back from more than 270 units. Other earlier versions, including one submitted by Kaplan, called for well over 300 residential units and up to 30,000 sf of commercial space. The whole RFP process began in mid-2003.

The development will focus on five parcels totaling just under 17 acres within the larger 31-acre tract. The selected developer will also be responsible for building recreational facilities and a community center.

And a small commercial component may also be part of the final plan. The four-acre Parcel 5, as it's labeled on the local zoning map, sits across the street from the other four development parcels, and local officials say they will target mixed uses combining an unspecified amount of commercial space with residential.