STAFFORD TWP., NJ-It's been almost two years since the Walters Group and local officials signed an agreement for the former to turn a 361-acre one-time landfill into a major mixed-use development. But this community is within South Jersey's Pine Barrens, and nothing gets done here without the approval of a state planning commission charged with overseeing the region.
Plans for the Stafford Park redevelopment have finally taken a step forward with the authorization of a public hearing on the project by the Public and Governmental Programs Committee of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. Although no firm date has been set, officials on all sides expect it to happen by mid-June. The commissioner of the New Jersey DEP and the executive director of the Pinelands Commission will also be involved in setting the actual date.
"A member of the Pinelands Commission staff once said that he believed this was the most scrutinized application ever to come before the commission," Joseph Del Duca, a partner of the Barnegat-based Walters Group. "If it wasn't the most scrutinized, it has to be close to the top of the list."
The general plans for Stafford Park, as outlined in Walters' application, would combine retail, residential and other uses. The centerpiece would be a 650,000-sf retail complex with three major anchor stores and dozens of smaller stores and restaurants in a town-center configuration. Also part of the plan are 565 age-restricted residential units, more than 110 affordable housing units and 25,000 sf of office space including municipal public works facilities. A recreation area would include a 71,000-sf twin ice skating rink.
As reported by GlobeSt.com, the landfill itself was closed in 1983 and initially approved for development by the Pinelands Commission in 1991. The redevelopment of the site does include capping the landfill.
"In the context of scrutiny, the desire to reach a level of mutual satisfaction between the Pinelands Commission and the DEP is understandable," Del Duca says. "We hope that the matter will soon be resolved."
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.