Redevelopment plans to be heard next week
Kaplan submits plans for former snuff mill site
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

A rendering shows the proposed look of one of the large snuff mill buildings after it is renovated for age-restricted condominiums as part of Heritage at Helmetta.

A milestone was reached in Helmetta's snuff mill redevelopment when Kaplan Cos. submitted its building plans for the historic factory site.

The redeveloper is expected to begin giving testimony on the plans for a senior community at the former Helme Tobacco Co. property during the Feb. 21 meeting of the borough Planning Board. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at borough hall with a board reorganization before testimony is heard on the plans.

The proposed development, called Heritage at Helmetta, would include 225 townhouses and condominiums for seniors, including 10 affordable housing units. The plans also call for a borough civic center and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The condos will be located in renovated mill buildings, while the townhouses will be new construction.

"I am excited that it is moving forward," Helmetta Mayor Nancy Martin said. "Kaplan has been more than cooperative. They worked really hard on this project. Especially with all of the stumbling blocks, we appreciate that it is moving as smoothly as it is."

The plans also provide for 372 parking spaces in standard parking lots for the condos and attached garages for the townhouses.

Kaplan, based in Highland Park, submitted plans for four of the snuff mill's five parcels last week, accounting for more than 11 acres of the property. Martin said the second, third and fourth parcels are where the major residential development will be located.

Parcel one, according to Jason Kaplan, president of Kaplan Cos., is located adjacent to the Jamesburg Park Conservation Area, and is being designated for open space and recreation.

"There will be no residential property on that parcel," Kaplan said. "We are going to have a public building turned over to Helmetta."

After meetings with the state Department of Environmental Protection [DEP], Kaplan Cos. announced that it will preserve two large mill buildings along Main Street. The buildings, which are located in a flood zone, will be used for condominiums.

The DEP accepted the redeveloper's delineation of wetlands on the site in recent weeks, further expediting the project, Martin said. Flood plain and wetlands issues will be addressed when plans for the fifth parcel are submitted.

The parcel five plans are being delayed while the state Council on Affordable Housing comes up with a new formula for determining municipal obligations for low-income housing. The decision, expected to come in six months, will determine the ratio of age-restricted housing to other types of residential units that will be allowed on parcel five.

Kaplan said he is flexible with regard to the type of housing units planned for that parcel.

While recreation facilities and swimming pools are included in the redevelopment plan, basketball and tennis courts are not proposed.

According to a storm water drainage report dated Oct. 31, the project was designed so that the new construction will not increase storm water runoff. The site is nearly two-thirds impervious area, and the runoff generated from the development will be treated for water quality prior to being discharged, the report states.

In addition to seeking preliminary approval and later, final approval, from the Planning Board, Martin noted that Kaplan will have to get approval from Middlesex County.

Several buildings on the snuff mill site have been demolished since September to make way for the redevelopment, and Kaplan said there are five buildings that remain to be razed.

Kaplan said he was thankful for the borough's assistance in paving the way for the redevelopment project.

"The town has been very cooperative with us so far," Kaplan said. "We are looking forward to presenting the first phases to the public."

Kaplan purchased the property from Helmetta Lenape LLC, of Bridgewater, for $3.4 million last year after the latter firm sued the borough over its choice of Kaplan as redeveloper.