Rt. 18 Redevelopment Moving At Fast Pace, Says East Brunswick Mayor

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The township’s redevelopment project is now moving along at a fast pace since the court gave East Brunswick the green light to move forward with the project and ended all the lawsuits the township faced.

Mayor Brad Cohen provided the update during Monday’s council meeting.

The stores in the first section of the Route 18 development are expected to be under contract in the next week or two, Cohen said.

Plans for the remaining part of the project will be up for Planning Board consideration in September. Demolition in that phase is likely to begin in the next couple of weeks, Cohen said.

“Since that February decision it's pretty obvious we are putting our foot on the gas,” the mayor said.

Earlier this year, a state court ruled that the township followed the law when it redesignated approximately 88 acres of property as a condemnation redevelopment area.

However, properties that challenged the township's designation argued that the designation was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable because the evidence did not meet the threshold for redevelopment.

The ruling cleared the way for construction in the area that will include a tech center, mixed-use buildings, hotel, transportation and medical services.

The court ruled that the Planning Board and Council used proper criteria under state law to designate the lots as areas in need of redevelopment.

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