COVID Vaccines, New Biz: What To Expect In East Brunswick In 2021

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – The year 2020 will forever be marked as one filled with loss, extreme difficulties and missed opportunities. While the pandemic is far from over, the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine brings hope for a better year.

As we settle into 2021, here’s what we can expect:

New Businesses In Town

Mayor Brad Cohen's redevelopment project is taking major strides. A new storage facility is all set to open at the former Kmart site in East Brunswick. CubeSmart, which includes around 1,100 units with 130,000 square feet of storage space, will open at the Route 18 location on Jan. 12.

Crunch Gym will be opening at the site in early 2021 or by the end of the year. Apart from that, a massive FedEx warehouse and distribution center will be coming to 39 Edgeboro Road. The tentative date for the completion of this project is "early 2021."

During his reelection campaign, Cohen had maintained that the Route 18 redevelopment project will bring an influx of businesses to town, and boost the economy which is facing hardships due to COVID-19 shutdowns. So expect the town's economy to get a little boost with these new businesses opening doors.

COVID-19 Vaccines are here
Expect COVID-19 vaccines in East Brunswick soon, including at your local ShopRite or doctor's office. New Jersey is currently putting together a plan on who will get the vaccine and when.

The state aims to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the first six months of the year. With that in mind, New Jersey is set to open 200 community vaccine sites and six "megasites" in January. The six vaccine "mega-sites" are:

• Atlantic County: Atlantic City Convention Center
• Bergen County: Racetrack at Meadowlands, East Rutherford
• Burlington County: Moorestown Mall
• Gloucester County: Rowan College of South Jersey, Sewell
• Middlesex County: New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, Edison
• Morris County: Rockaway Townsquare Mall

Around 38 ShopRites and 26 doctor's offices/urgent care locations across New Jersey will administer the vaccine. The locations have not been revealed yet.

Currently, the state is vaccinating those in group 1A , which includes healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff.

Driver's License Access For Undocumented Immigrants

A year ago, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a new law to expand access to driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

Although the state was supposed to start providing license beginning Jan. 1, on Dec. 29 the Motor Vehicle Commission said they were delaying implementation of the law due to a large workload caused by COVID-19.

No tentative date was cited, but the hope is that licenses will start being issued soon, now that vaccine distribution has begun and the MVC is working hard to reduce the workload.

Marijuana Legalization Bill Delayed

The marijuana legalization bill has been delayed. According to a report by Politico, the Murphy administration is objecting to legislation that creates the framework for selling the drug.

During a Dec. 28 press conference Murphy said there are some "technical, but important things we're trying to wrinkle out" on the legislation. The bill needs Gov. Phil Murphy's signature to become law.

During the November elections, New Jersey voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana. State officials have said that it could from 6 months to a year for the drug to be sold in stores. Delay in legislation will delay the selling of the drug.

Marijuana dispensaries and manufacturing facilities could help replace lost revenue and help struggling down towns as they recover from COVID-19.