Will NJSEA Approve Gas Station, QuickChek, Extended Stay Motel Proposed For Meadowlands Parkway?

SECAUCUS, NJ — There is major news Secaucus residents should know about an empty property on Meadowlands Parkway:

The property is 35 Meadowlands Parkway, at the foot of the Rt. 3 off-ramp (where the mural is). Hess oil/gas company used to be there, but that building has long since been torn down.

The property is now privately owned by Alexander Opper/The Opper Group of Elmwood Park, who would like to open an Extended Stay motel there, and also a gas station and QuickChek convenience store (it was originally supposed to be a Wawa, but for reasons unknown Wawa backed out). In order to do this, they need to get at least eight variances approved by the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA), which has control over that land.

(The NJSEA has control over much of the land use in the Meadowlands, including land use around the stadium and the racetrack. Many Secaucus residents may not know this, but the NJSEA even controls how some parcels of land can be used in Secaucus, such as this lot.)

The lot is zoned commercial, but it's not zoned to allow for a gas station there, likely due to flooding concerns. There was a hearing Tuesday of this week, where representatives from The Opper Group presented their variance requests before the NJSEA.

The town of Secaucus supports a gas station, QuickChek convenience store and a hotel being built there, said Mayor Mike Gonnelli. He was not at Tuesday's meeting, but town administrator Gary Jeffas was, and he got up and briefly spoke. Jeffas told the NJSEA the town supports the proposal.

"Secaucus is in favor of responsible development at the site," Jeffas told Patch Thursday. "We want responsible development there, and everyone involved is a reputable company."

35 Meadowlands Parkway floods regularly in high tides from the Hackensack River. The state of New Jersey previously determined that land was contaminated, and they required the Opper Group to do an environmental remediation at the site, where they filled the land, capped it and elevated the lot. That has taken the past five years. Gonnelli said fuel tanks to hold the gasoline would indeed go underground there if the NJSEA approves the gas station.

Tuesday's hearing about this went on for hours, according to people who were there. In another twist, Hartz Mountain — another major land owner in Secaucus and which also owns land on Meadowlands Parkway — is reportedly against this. They had their own lawyers there on Tuesday, and they spoke against the QuickChek/gas station.

Also, The Opper Group proposes making a major change to that intersection of the Rt. 3 off ramp: They are asking the NJ Dept. of Transportation to add a center lane so traffic can go directly into the gas station/QuickChek. The right and left turn lanes would remain.

Once the NJSEA Board of Commissioners make their decision on the variance application, and once the DOT agrees to add the center lane, the proposal will next head to the Secaucus Zoning Board.

Secaucus has to give its own approval, but Gonnelli and Jeffas said the town is likely to do so.

"As long as the DOT determines that the reworking of that intersection is acceptable, then the town is fine with it," said Jeffas Thursday.

The NJSEA did not make a decision Tuesday and a second public meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 10. That hearing is open to the public and will be held in the Board Meeting Room of the NJSEA, 1 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst. Anyone can attend. Learn more about Opper's request and that Feb. 10 meeting here: https://www.njsea.com/public-n...

What you need to know:

• The Extended Stay would be 122 rooms.
• The QuickChek would be a 5,869-square-foot convenience store with a 12-space parking lot in the front and a 17-space parking area along one side. It was originally supposed to be a Wawa there, but once Wawa backed out, QuickChek agreed to open and said they would only open there with a gas station.
• The Opper Group would be required to construct a 50-foot-wide landscaped buffer along the mean water line from the Hackensack River.
• The environmental remediation and filling of the site, which was required by the state, is already done and completed.

Secaucus Wawa, Gas Station Still Likely To Come To Meadowlands Parkway (2023)