As part of the deal, several portions of roadway will be turnedover to the developer so that the site can be reconfigured. Thiswill allow the shopping center to be positioned for maximumoff-site exposure and enable road improvements to be made. Inreturn, AIG will give Mt. Olive $400,000 over the next three yearsand will fund some of the road improvements, according to councilpresident William Sohl. The council is said to have no immediateplans for the cash, although open-space retention andinfrastructure improvements could be on the agenda.

The developer, based in Birmingham, AL, has also filed anapplication with the state for some $3 million in grant money tobuild a connector between US Highways 46 and 206. The mall isexpected to generate upwards of $2.2 million a year in new taxrevenues.

There has been some opposition to the undertaking, most of itrelated to the additional traffic that would be generated. Besidesthe ITZ, the new project isn't far from the highly successfulRockaway Town Center in Rockaway. In any case, most of the issueswere resolved during the negotiating process, which extended overseveral months. The township is also said to be buying up nearbyproperty as a means of limiting further growth.