Jones Lang LaSalle

New visions for an old site in Sayreville
Developers to air National Lead proposals
Sunday, January 22, 2006

BY NAWAL QAROONIStar-Ledger Staff
A vast stretch of waterfront land at the foot of the Driscoll Bridge in Sayreville is a no-man's land, a contaminated remnant of New Jersey's industrial heyday.

At the invitation of the borough's redevelopment agency, though, builders have been envisioning a remarkably different future for the 410-acre site where National Lead once made paint pigments.

One developer envisions a modernistic water world, planned in a radial pattern around a hotel high-rise.

Another proposes a movie theater and fishing piers while revitalizing and preserving natural, open space.

A third hopes to create a completely new downtown, anchored by a corporate office park.

The proposals were among those submitted by four finalists selected by the Sayreville Economic Development Agency. The developers will unveil their plans in detail at the agency's meeting at Sayreville's Senior Center on Main Street Thursday at 6 p.m.

Randy Corman, executive director of the agency, said a developer will be selected by March, one year after Sayreville condemned the site.

"I've seen all of the proposals and they're very exciting," borough Mayor Kennedy O'Brien said. "We're all thrilled that we've finally reached this decision point."

The final four companies are the Spector Group of North Hills, N.Y.; LNR Property Corp. of Quincy, Mass.; a partnership between V. Paulius and Associates of Allendale and Cashman of Quincy, Mass.; and Forest City Enterprises of Cleveland.

Three of the four developers provided renderings of their proposals to The Star-Ledger and explained their projects in detail. Forest City chose not to provide any details until the meeting.
At least two of the four proposals include baseball stadiums. At least three will have marinas. All will have boardwalks near the water.

One has suggested a movie theater. Another highlighted the preservation of open space and wetlands. One calls for a Venice-like water system so extensive that cars won't be necessary.
The Spector Group proposes to use the land's intrinsic nature -- the water on all three sides of the property, said Michael Mannetta, director of design for the project. At least 95 percent of waterfront land is controlled privately in this country, Mannetta said, so the firm would create a complete perimeter with a public waterfront boardwalk around 100 percent of the site. The public spaces in the proposal would be accomplished first, Mannetta said, before the retail and housing begins.

"It'll be so you can walk a baby carriage, see the boats, shop or eat at any time, whether it's night or day," Mannetta said. "It'll be a place to see and be seen 12 months of the year."

Some of the Spector Group's highlights include: a minor league baseball park near the water, similar to Giants Stadium in San Francisco; the largest aquarium in the Northeast; a marine life center and science learning center where boats venture out onto the Raritan Bay or the Atlantic Ocean for whale-watching and science field trips; a glass-enclosed structure used as a children's interactive and passive playground; a performing arts center with a mechanical roof-top; a high-rise hotel centerpiece with a convention center; apartments with parking underneath; a light rail and trolley system to reduce vehicular traffic; and a restaurant "row."

"The idea," said Mannetta, "is for people to be able to say, 'I live here, work here, and can be entertained here, all without having to get in a car if I don't want to.'"

Well-recognized household names have already been enlisted to develop restaurants, specialty shops and clubs, said Mannetta.

"Every building will have a waterfront view, and we'll really create a nautical hub," Mannetta said. "We'll have water taxis and boat traffic accessible by the Jersey Shore, Manhattan and Long Island."

Jonathan Jaffe, a spokesman for LNR, said the company's proposal would return the land to "one of New Jersey's most memorable and distinctive mixed-use projects."

LNR is proposing 167 acres of wetlands, parks and open spaces, fishing and marina piers, a movie theater, a boardwalk, a minor league baseball stadium, a recreation and event center for concerts, family shows, cultural events, sports, waterfront activities and performing arts.
The project would not cost the borough residents a penny, said Jaffe, because the company isn't asking for any public subsidies.

"There's zero financial risk to Sayreville," Jaffe said.

Jane Gertler, marketing director for the Spector Group, said its project would not require public subsidies either.

Lawrence Pat Kramer, executive vice president of V. Paulius, said they'd "take advantage of any offer for a project this size," though they don't anticipate a need for any tax incentives.
V. Paulius and Associates/Cashman intends to create an exclusively waterfront setting as well.

The partnership proposes to build a community center geared toward senior citizens; a recreation center with baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts; a retail section with a pavilion arena and coffee shops like Starbucks, book stores, dining and entertainment; professional space for doctors offices; a U-shaped hotel with a glass-covered canopy; warehouse and cold-storage space, according to Kramer.

All of the property would be surrounded by a riverfront pedestrian path, Kramer said. The company was to present its proposal at an open forum yesterday morning in Sayreville.

Just a couple of miles away, developers in South Amboy are in the first stages of building a Marriott hotel and convention center, the anchor to the city's million-dollar waterfront housing development called Lighthouse Bay.

But the two new development sites, said South Amboy Mayor John O'Leary, would not compete or be a hindrance to each other.

"We can only complement one another," O'Leary said. "We each have certain amenities the other can't offer, so we'll feed off each other, and it'll be positive."

SERA Executive Director Corman isn't worried either.

"Ultimately, all redevelopment is driven by the market," he said. "Redevelopers wouldn't invest unless they thought they'd benefit. We're leaving any risk-taking to the private developers."

Although Forest City declined to provide any details of its proposal, Mark Bulmash, senior vice president for commercial development, said the company is one of very few companies that can "put it all together in one place."

Forest City is working on similar town center projects at Denver's Stapleton Airport, Hallandale Beach North of Miami, and at a ranch in Southern California.

The National Lead property sits west of the Garden State Parkway on the banks of the Raritan River. The borough claimed ownership of the land last March when the redevelopment agency deposited $33.5 million with a state court. Much of the money will go toward the cleanup of the site unless the selected developer assumes the responsibility from National Lead, Corman said.

The purpose of Thursday's meeting is for the residents of Sayreville and surrounding areas to comment on the developers' proposals. O'Brien stressed that the ultimate decision will be left to the residents of Sayreville.

"It's been a long road to get to this point, but we're moving forward to that new dawn in Sayreville," the mayor said.