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Jets decide to make camp in Florham Park
Training facility to be built on old Exxon site
Friday, March 31, 2006
BY LISA VERNON-SPARKS
Star-Ledger Staff
The Jets will move their corporate headquarters and training facility to a 20-acre site in Florham Park, ending months of speculation and a yearlong search in which the Morris County borough beat out four other communities, officials said yesterday.
The new complex, which will consist of three outdoor fields, one indoor field and as much as 110,000 square feet of corporate space for 100 employees, will be built on the former Exxon site, a 485-acre tract of pristine woodlands, wetlands and a few buildings near Route 24.
"On behalf of the citizens of our fine borough, I am gratified and excited that Florham Park will become the future home of the new Jets training facility," Florham Park Mayor Frank Tinari said.
The move is part of a plan between the Jets, Giants and the state of New Jersey to build a $1 billion open-air stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, next to the existing Giants Stadium.
As part of that deal, the Jets will leave Hofstra University on Long Island, where they have maintained their corporate offices and training facilities for nearly four decades.
As part of the deal, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority will purchase 20 acres of the Exxon site from the Gale Co., which is in partnership with the Rockefeller Development Group Corp., at a cost of $20 million. The authority would then lease the land to the Jets.
Developer Mark Yeager, who heads Gale, did not return calls seeking comment.
Jets officials declined comment, saying an announcement will be made today.
The Jets, who have played their regular season games at Giants Stadium since 1984, have said they would spend $30 million to $50 million to build the new facility and plan to open it by next year.
Jets players would use the facility about 170 days a year -- from late July, when training camp begins, through the end of the football season, officials said. The team headquarters would be staffed year-round. Tinari said the team may also host football clinics for children at the site.
The move to Florham Park, a bedroom community of about 12,000 people in southeastern Morris County, will result in an economic boon to the state and the county, local officials said.
Not only will the state be able to collect income taxes from the Jets players and employees, which will add as much as $15 million a year to the state's coffers, but the sports authority will pay the borough $200,000 a year in lieu of property taxes, Tinari said, adding that $50,000 of that will be set aside each year for recreation programs.
"It means a great deal to Morris County. It's going to bring vibrancy to the area," said Florence Block Reichenberg, president of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. "It's going to ... bring job opportunities, work and employees."
The Exxon site has been vacant since 2000. The Gale Co. had wanted to build 1.6 million square feet of office space, a hotel and day care center there, but three neighboring municipalities -- Madison and the Chathams -- sued Florham Park, saying the redevelopment plan would generate too much traffic and possibly threaten a local aquifer used by the three communities. Though the borough prevailed in 2004, nothing has been done at the site.
Over the past year, the Jets examined and heard proposals from dozens of communities before narrowing the list to five sites -- the Wood-Ridge Industrial Park in Wood-Ridge, Bergen County; a parcel owned by East Orange WaterWorks in Millburn; a warehouse and adjoining recreational facility in Jersey City; the Corporate Campus in Berkeley Heights, and the Florham Park site.
Each community lobbied hard.
Wood-Ridge, for example, touted its proximity to the Meadowlands while Jersey City promoted its location not only near the Meadowlands, but also to the New Jersey Turnpike and New York City.
Berkeley Heights, in Union County, promised a full-service hotel, sports restaurant and downtown "recreation zone," and even held a townwide rally the day after the Feb. 12 blizzard, complete with a green and white police car and Mayor David Cohen dressed up in a green-and-white Santa cap. The Jets' official colors are green and white.
The Jets had said they were seeking a site that would be easy to develop, within 20 miles of the Meadowlands and Newark Liberty International Airport, yet accessible to Manhattan and near a range of housing, hotels and medical facilities.
The towns that lost out said they gave it their best shot.
"We had 700 people out in two feet of snow to show our support for the Jets," Cohen said yesterday. "The positive thing is, I have no regrets ... I can sleep at night and say we did everything and went 150 percent, and so did the Connell Company," the town's partner in the proposal.
State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said he was disappointed Wood-Ridge was not selected.
"We offered an outstanding proposal that was competitive on the dollars and the financing. But also the Jets had spoken about being part of the Meadowlands community, and in this instance they have decided to remain outsiders," Sarlo said.
Tinari said Florham Park may have been chosen because of the size of the parcel, its proximity to routes 287 and 24, and because of other projects planned for the site, including a hotel and day care center. In addition, he said, the borough plans to change the zoning of the site to allow for the facility.
"They probably liked the entire package," Tinari said. "There are many, many amenities for the organization, the transportation hub, and the Jets will have room to expand its facility because it's available. I also think the area had a lot of nice amenities ... if family or relatives came to visit, they would have a place to stay."
In addition to Florham Park, the Jets' move could also be welcome news for Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, where the Giants trained from 1988-95. The new Jets headquarters would be located across Park Avenue, just minutes from FDU.
During the search process, the Jets had "very preliminary" talks with FDU about its facilities, said Bill Klika, the school's athletic director. He predicted the Jets may use the school's dorms or cafeterias, or its athletic facilities, while its own are being built.
"We're certainly an interested observer, and maybe a participant. Who knows?" Klika said.
Staff writers Kristen Alloway, Matt Futterman and Maura McDermott contributed to this report.
© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
Jets decide to make camp in Florham Park
Training facility to be built on old Exxon site
Friday, March 31, 2006
BY LISA VERNON-SPARKS
Star-Ledger Staff
The Jets will move their corporate headquarters and training facility to a 20-acre site in Florham Park, ending months of speculation and a yearlong search in which the Morris County borough beat out four other communities, officials said yesterday.
The new complex, which will consist of three outdoor fields, one indoor field and as much as 110,000 square feet of corporate space for 100 employees, will be built on the former Exxon site, a 485-acre tract of pristine woodlands, wetlands and a few buildings near Route 24.
"On behalf of the citizens of our fine borough, I am gratified and excited that Florham Park will become the future home of the new Jets training facility," Florham Park Mayor Frank Tinari said.
The move is part of a plan between the Jets, Giants and the state of New Jersey to build a $1 billion open-air stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, next to the existing Giants Stadium.
As part of that deal, the Jets will leave Hofstra University on Long Island, where they have maintained their corporate offices and training facilities for nearly four decades.
As part of the deal, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority will purchase 20 acres of the Exxon site from the Gale Co., which is in partnership with the Rockefeller Development Group Corp., at a cost of $20 million. The authority would then lease the land to the Jets.
Developer Mark Yeager, who heads Gale, did not return calls seeking comment.
Jets officials declined comment, saying an announcement will be made today.
The Jets, who have played their regular season games at Giants Stadium since 1984, have said they would spend $30 million to $50 million to build the new facility and plan to open it by next year.
Jets players would use the facility about 170 days a year -- from late July, when training camp begins, through the end of the football season, officials said. The team headquarters would be staffed year-round. Tinari said the team may also host football clinics for children at the site.
The move to Florham Park, a bedroom community of about 12,000 people in southeastern Morris County, will result in an economic boon to the state and the county, local officials said.
Not only will the state be able to collect income taxes from the Jets players and employees, which will add as much as $15 million a year to the state's coffers, but the sports authority will pay the borough $200,000 a year in lieu of property taxes, Tinari said, adding that $50,000 of that will be set aside each year for recreation programs.
"It means a great deal to Morris County. It's going to bring vibrancy to the area," said Florence Block Reichenberg, president of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. "It's going to ... bring job opportunities, work and employees."
The Exxon site has been vacant since 2000. The Gale Co. had wanted to build 1.6 million square feet of office space, a hotel and day care center there, but three neighboring municipalities -- Madison and the Chathams -- sued Florham Park, saying the redevelopment plan would generate too much traffic and possibly threaten a local aquifer used by the three communities. Though the borough prevailed in 2004, nothing has been done at the site.
Over the past year, the Jets examined and heard proposals from dozens of communities before narrowing the list to five sites -- the Wood-Ridge Industrial Park in Wood-Ridge, Bergen County; a parcel owned by East Orange WaterWorks in Millburn; a warehouse and adjoining recreational facility in Jersey City; the Corporate Campus in Berkeley Heights, and the Florham Park site.
Each community lobbied hard.
Wood-Ridge, for example, touted its proximity to the Meadowlands while Jersey City promoted its location not only near the Meadowlands, but also to the New Jersey Turnpike and New York City.
Berkeley Heights, in Union County, promised a full-service hotel, sports restaurant and downtown "recreation zone," and even held a townwide rally the day after the Feb. 12 blizzard, complete with a green and white police car and Mayor David Cohen dressed up in a green-and-white Santa cap. The Jets' official colors are green and white.
The Jets had said they were seeking a site that would be easy to develop, within 20 miles of the Meadowlands and Newark Liberty International Airport, yet accessible to Manhattan and near a range of housing, hotels and medical facilities.
The towns that lost out said they gave it their best shot.
"We had 700 people out in two feet of snow to show our support for the Jets," Cohen said yesterday. "The positive thing is, I have no regrets ... I can sleep at night and say we did everything and went 150 percent, and so did the Connell Company," the town's partner in the proposal.
State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said he was disappointed Wood-Ridge was not selected.
"We offered an outstanding proposal that was competitive on the dollars and the financing. But also the Jets had spoken about being part of the Meadowlands community, and in this instance they have decided to remain outsiders," Sarlo said.
Tinari said Florham Park may have been chosen because of the size of the parcel, its proximity to routes 287 and 24, and because of other projects planned for the site, including a hotel and day care center. In addition, he said, the borough plans to change the zoning of the site to allow for the facility.
"They probably liked the entire package," Tinari said. "There are many, many amenities for the organization, the transportation hub, and the Jets will have room to expand its facility because it's available. I also think the area had a lot of nice amenities ... if family or relatives came to visit, they would have a place to stay."
In addition to Florham Park, the Jets' move could also be welcome news for Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, where the Giants trained from 1988-95. The new Jets headquarters would be located across Park Avenue, just minutes from FDU.
During the search process, the Jets had "very preliminary" talks with FDU about its facilities, said Bill Klika, the school's athletic director. He predicted the Jets may use the school's dorms or cafeterias, or its athletic facilities, while its own are being built.
"We're certainly an interested observer, and maybe a participant. Who knows?" Klika said.
Staff writers Kristen Alloway, Matt Futterman and Maura McDermott contributed to this report.
© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
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