Committee Places Medical Office Proposal on Back Burner

The Township Committee decided at a meeting Tuesday night to place on the back burner for now a  which would allow medical and dental offices on the first floor of Cranford Crossings. 

Originally the Committee planned to vote on the ordinance on April 12. Officials did not specify when they plan to reintroduce the measure.

Mayor Daniel Aschenbach said he thoroughly supports the proposal, adding that he believes it would fill up empty storefronts and help populate a nearly empty adjacent parking garage with cars. 

"There are vacancies and the garage is running on a $200,000 deficit right now. We hope to fill it up,” said Aschenbach.

The Mayor added that he believes the adjacent parking garage is an asset to the community and that the Township Committee has tried to make the facility work.

“It boggles my mind as to why the medical office is such a controversial issue, the space is still empty and taxpayers are footing the cost,” he said.

However downtown business owners attending public meetings – such as vocal orthodontist Frank Krause – said they believe allowing medical and dental on the first floor would create a "dangerous precedent," as the building will not be used as originally designed; to encourage retail and foot traffic in Cranford.

Cranford Crossings is a redevelopment project featuring more than 20,000 square feet of commercial space and 50 apartment units in the center of downtown. The adjacent parking garage opened in 2007 at a building cost of about $7 million dollars – both facilties have come under fire from residents and officials alike as the township could not fill up retail spaces and the parking garage ran up a yearly deficit.

The township committee will vote on another amendment aimed at coaxing more businesses into Cranford Crossings on April 12 – the ordinance proposes shrinking down the minimum business floor space size down from 2,500 square feet to 950 square feet.

However residents speaking at the microphone at Tuesday's meeting were more concerned with another hot-button issue, expressing disappointment that nothing official has been decided yet on the fate of the 4.2-acre plot on Orange Avenue – the site of the former Solomon Schechter School.

The previous Republican-dominated Township Committee bought the vacant land last year for $1.9 million, some members saying that they wanted to transform the plot into recreational space.

On Monday however the Township Committee revealed that the state does not consider the property to be on the Recreation and Open Space lnventory (ROSI) regardless of legislation passed by the Township Committee last year.

On Tuesday, the Mayor explained that the township must apply for Green Acres funding first, which was not done originally.

“Green Acres requires a loan with local finding. I can’t agree to spend additions funds when we are considering laying off employees and reducing services. I can’t promise any local dollars right now," he said. People are already struggling with property tax bills. I know people want to start planning the park and we might be able to provide some clean-up assistance but we need a permit to just move dirt around. We would have to come up with money for grass seed.” 

He added that he can see no fiscal gain to developing the property because it would lead to the additional cost of roads and schools – he did however add that a newly-created committee will evaluate the possibilities and make recommendations.