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Housing, offices, hotel in game plan for Jets' site
Preliminary design for new headquarters and training facility includes 120 buildings
Sunday, April 23, 2006
BY JOHN WIHBEY
Star-Ledger Staff
As part of the Jets' new headquarters plan, more than 120 buildings for housing, hospitality and office space are to rise on a campus in Florham Park, according to a preliminary design submitted to the state.
Local officials are anxious to review the final plans but two deadlines have already been missed according to the timetable the developers submitted to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
"We're waiting and we're ready to go," borough planning board Chairman Sam McNulty said. "They said they wanted to get a shovel in the ground by June. But we haven't seen anything yet. We're ready to do whatever it takes to get the Jets project going."
The 260 acres of the former Exxon headquarters site where the redevelopment will take place would host 600,000 square feet of new office space, a 200-room hotel, a 15,000-square-foot day care center and up to 550 units of age-restricted housing.
Two recreational fields would be built on an adjoining parcel in Madison. The fields would be served by a parking lot and an access road off Park Avenue.
The Jets' corporate and training facility, which occupies 20 acres, and the other development are on separate tracks and timetables, according to McNulty.
Local officials have no regulatory power over the Jets' facility, according to the terms of the deal. The Sports Authority, which is purchasing the Jets' site, is exempt from local zoning laws.
"We are aggressively moving forward," said Jets spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein. "We want to get in there as soon as possible."
The Jets' campus will feature an air-supported dome that could be as tall as 125 feet and outdoor light towers up to 100 feet high. A courtesy review will be provided to the borough planning board and council, allowing for public comment.
"We're going to make sure the public gets a good look," McNulty said.
The Gale Co. and Rockefeller Group Development Corp. are developing the entire site.
A design review scheduled for an April 10 planning board meeting was tabled because Gale had not yet submitted any plans. The full site plan should be ready for a special planning board work session on May 10, officials said. A call to Gale was not returned.
The borough council still must take a final vote to rezone the entire 485-acre ExxonMobil property to allow the projects accompanying the Jets facility to move forward.
Last year, the site's southern portion -- where all of the redevelopment will take place -- was assessed at $73 million, generating $1.2 million in taxes.
According to local officials, the preliminary site plan and documents obtained by The Star-Ledger from the Sports Authority:
Five buildings would contain the 600,000 square feet of new office and hotel space.
The Jets' 20-acre campus would include a 110,000-square-foot corporate building, a dome-covered field and three outdoor practice fields. The team's site will be about 2,500 feet from Park Avenue.
About two-thirds of the remaining 225 acres of the ExxonMobil property are wetlands and are to be preserved as open space.
Two access roads from Park Avenue will lead to the various facilities. The Jets organization will contribute up to $1 million for road improvements.
Borough officials concede that potential traffic problems, particularly at the intersection of Columbia Turnpike and Park Avenue, will need to be addressed by Gale Co. "They know already that they're going to have to address that issue," McNulty said.
Earlier plans that called for 1.8 million square feet of office space met with widespread opposition from surrounding towns in part because of the traffic congestion they would likely cause.
The scaled-back Jets plan has now rendered a "non-issue" the idea of a Route 24 connector road, which had been debated as part of the former plans, according to Florham Park Mayor Frank Tinari.
John Wihbey covers Florham Park. He may be reached at jwihbey@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.
© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
Housing, offices, hotel in game plan for Jets' site
Preliminary design for new headquarters and training facility includes 120 buildings
Sunday, April 23, 2006
BY JOHN WIHBEY
Star-Ledger Staff
As part of the Jets' new headquarters plan, more than 120 buildings for housing, hospitality and office space are to rise on a campus in Florham Park, according to a preliminary design submitted to the state.
Local officials are anxious to review the final plans but two deadlines have already been missed according to the timetable the developers submitted to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
"We're waiting and we're ready to go," borough planning board Chairman Sam McNulty said. "They said they wanted to get a shovel in the ground by June. But we haven't seen anything yet. We're ready to do whatever it takes to get the Jets project going."
The 260 acres of the former Exxon headquarters site where the redevelopment will take place would host 600,000 square feet of new office space, a 200-room hotel, a 15,000-square-foot day care center and up to 550 units of age-restricted housing.
Two recreational fields would be built on an adjoining parcel in Madison. The fields would be served by a parking lot and an access road off Park Avenue.
The Jets' corporate and training facility, which occupies 20 acres, and the other development are on separate tracks and timetables, according to McNulty.
Local officials have no regulatory power over the Jets' facility, according to the terms of the deal. The Sports Authority, which is purchasing the Jets' site, is exempt from local zoning laws.
"We are aggressively moving forward," said Jets spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein. "We want to get in there as soon as possible."
The Jets' campus will feature an air-supported dome that could be as tall as 125 feet and outdoor light towers up to 100 feet high. A courtesy review will be provided to the borough planning board and council, allowing for public comment.
"We're going to make sure the public gets a good look," McNulty said.
The Gale Co. and Rockefeller Group Development Corp. are developing the entire site.
A design review scheduled for an April 10 planning board meeting was tabled because Gale had not yet submitted any plans. The full site plan should be ready for a special planning board work session on May 10, officials said. A call to Gale was not returned.
The borough council still must take a final vote to rezone the entire 485-acre ExxonMobil property to allow the projects accompanying the Jets facility to move forward.
Last year, the site's southern portion -- where all of the redevelopment will take place -- was assessed at $73 million, generating $1.2 million in taxes.
According to local officials, the preliminary site plan and documents obtained by The Star-Ledger from the Sports Authority:
Five buildings would contain the 600,000 square feet of new office and hotel space.
The Jets' 20-acre campus would include a 110,000-square-foot corporate building, a dome-covered field and three outdoor practice fields. The team's site will be about 2,500 feet from Park Avenue.
About two-thirds of the remaining 225 acres of the ExxonMobil property are wetlands and are to be preserved as open space.
Two access roads from Park Avenue will lead to the various facilities. The Jets organization will contribute up to $1 million for road improvements.
Borough officials concede that potential traffic problems, particularly at the intersection of Columbia Turnpike and Park Avenue, will need to be addressed by Gale Co. "They know already that they're going to have to address that issue," McNulty said.
Earlier plans that called for 1.8 million square feet of office space met with widespread opposition from surrounding towns in part because of the traffic congestion they would likely cause.
The scaled-back Jets plan has now rendered a "non-issue" the idea of a Route 24 connector road, which had been debated as part of the former plans, according to Florham Park Mayor Frank Tinari.
John Wihbey covers Florham Park. He may be reached at jwihbey@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.
© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 10:53 AM
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