Town Launches 500-Acre Redevelopment

OLD BRIDGE TWP., NJ-The Old Bridge Economic Development Corp. wants to redevelop a 500-acre tract of land bordering Routes 9 and 18 in the Middlesex County township, and has officially set the long-term process in motion by hiring a consulting firm to create a plan. Schoor DePalma, based in Manalapan, NJ has gotten the nod for the project.

“A redevelopment plan for this section of Old Bridge will give the township additional tools for attracting quality commercial developers,” says Patrick Gillespie, president and chairman of the EDC. “This tract will create jobs while decreasing residential tax burdens through new commercial ratables.”

What will rise on the site remains to be determined–and it’s largely up to Schoor DePalma to figure that out. “We’re well-suited to propose development options for this site because of our experience in redevelopment planning for both the public and private sectors,” says the firm’s chairman/CEO, Stephen DePalma.

The process for Schoor DePalma will be to conceptualize development options for the site, according to Gillespie. Initial site plans will be showcased at public planning meetings, and “final design plans will then be modified based on a consensus,” he explains.

The redevelopment plan for what is known locally as the Olympia & York Tract will supersede the township’s master plan, according to Gillespie. After final approval by the township council, it will become the zoning ordinance for the site.