Route 33 studies look at traffic, taxes, pupils

Monroe wants to know what to expect with or without ballpark

BY SETH MANDEL

Staff Writer

Monroe officials hope to soon find out exactly what impact a proposed ballpark complex would have on the township.

The Township Council has voted to spend $75,000 on three studies focusing on the Route 33 corridor, where officials may allow a ballpark, retail establishments, residential housing, a park-and-ride facility, and other amenities.

Two studies will focus on traffic and market research, while the third will be devoted to the impact of new condominiums — discussed as part of the ballpark complex — on the school district, according to Planning Board member Joe Montanti, who also heads the Route 33 Land Use Task Force.

The traffic study, to be completed by the end of this month, will be conducted by traffic engineer Harvey Yesowitz, who has worked on the township’s master plan. The study will focus in part on the inclusion of commuter parking in the ballpark complex.

“We believe the park-and-ride will actually help the township, because we have a lot of people now cutting through Monroe to get to the park-and-ride on [Route] 130,” Montanti said.

The market analysis will be centered around the tax impact of the ballpark complex, as well as the tax revenue the town would receive if the corridor is left to be developed piecemeal over time.

“We know what the developers have proposed, and from that we can calculate how much taxes we will get from it,” Montanti said, noting that the study will show what can be expected in tax revenue from Route 33 properties over the next five to 10 years “if we don’t do anything, if we just let the highway development zone stay as it is.”

The market analysis will also focus on the retail facet of the development. Montanti said high-end retailers would be much more inclined to move into a “destination,” which usually includes a mixture of retail, residential and access to public transportation.

“Just from our experience in the recent past, we have a developer that was looking to put in some retail on the corner of Butcher Road and Route 33 — they have been unable to secure tenants,” Montanti said.

If the ballpark does not come to fruition, the highway will likely be developed in strip mall fashion, officials believe. It would start at Applegarth Road and eventually move up the highway to Perrineville Road, Montanti said. This could take years, as there is not much demand for smaller retail establishments in the area.

“My fear is, if we don’t come up with a good project, and we just let it happen, Route 33 will kind of languish, and we’ll end up with things that we don’t want that don’t bring in much taxes,” Montanti said.

Councilman John Riggs said such development can be largely avoided if the township makes sure all future development along the corridor conforms to zoning regulations.

“If we accomplish the one that has been talked about, which involves the ballpark and the retail, we have to review every piece of property on Route 33 to make sure that the zoning for it is appropriate,” Riggs said. This, he said, will ensure the township does “not end up getting the Route 9s and the Route 18s with that intense development along them.”

The corridor is currently zoned for highway development use, which includes retail and light industrial. The only part of the proposed development that would necessitate zoning changes would be the residential portion.

Riggs said existing businesses, such as greenhouses and equipment manufacturers, would be grandfathered and could remain. But if the owners choose to sell the property, they will have to comply with any zoning changes or amendments to the master plan.

Future land sales could be a more distinct possibility, Riggs said, as the ballpark complex could bring about a significant appreciation in the value of area properties.

Riggs said the market analysis will represent “a total look at all the property incorporated in that Route 33 corridor, not just the site of the ballpark and retail,” Riggs said.

The third study will help the township estimate how many families with school-age children could be expected to move into the condominiums that would be part of the ballpark complex, given current market conditions and prices, Montanti said.

“Originally, we were going to do that ourselves when we thought it was going to be easy to do,” Montanti said. “Then we realized there are so many condominiums in the state, we really wanted to get someone who knows that end of the business who is a professional and an expert at it.”

Officials hope the market analysis and residential impact studies will get under way within the next week or two.