Does Essex Green In West Orange Need ‘Redevelopment?’

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Is the Essex Green shopping center “outmoded” and in need of a fresh look? Or would marking the complex as an “area in need of redevelopment” end up being a boondoggle for West Orange taxpayers?

The latter was the question on the minds of several residents at the West Orange Town Council meeting on Nov. 21 as they criticized a possible plan to declare the property an area in need of redevelopment. The designation could make the privately owned property eligible for certain exemptions and other financial incentives at the cost of local taxpayers.

During the meeting, professional planner Paul Grygiel presented a report in favor of the designation, which called Essex Green “outmoded.”

The property’s current owner, Clarion Partners, purchased it for $97 million in 2016, TAP Into SOMA reported. The complex’s office space has a 58 percent vacancy rate and its shopping center has a 33 percent vacancy rate.

• See related article: West Orange Shopping Center Sold

However, several West Orange residents spoke out at the Nov. 21 meeting against the possible designation and its effects on local taxpayers, a concern that Council President Joe Krakoviak echoed later in the meeting.

“The administration should tell the developer that no incentives will be offered,” Krakoviak said. “If we give them a tax abatement, all we’re doing is given them money to increase their profits.”

Watch a video from the Nov. 21 meeting below. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page here.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: YouTube, West Orange Township