Kaplan gets go-ahead for snuff mill project Planning Board approves site plan for senior housing BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer An artist's rendering of the future "Heritage at Helmetta" site by Kaplan Cos. The redevelopment of Helmetta's historic snuff mill property could begin as early as this fall. The project, which will turn some of the vacant factory buildings along Main Street into a senior condo community called Heritage at Helmetta, received preliminary site plan approval from the borough Planning Board Feb. 21. Kaplan Cos., the borough's chosen redeveloper, was given the OK to create 225 age-restricted condominiums and townhouses and a still-to-be-determined amount of retail space on 11.5 acres of the former Helme Tobacco Co. property. The mill has been vacant since 1993, when its last operator, Swisher International, moved all its operations south. After hearing testimony from Kaplan Cos. President Jason Kaplan and his professionals for the estimated $70 million project last week, eight of the Planning Board's nine members voted to approve the plans. Board member and Councilman Sewell Peckham recused himself from the proceedings because he lives within 200 feet of the snuff mill site. "We are really happy with the vote last week," Jason Kaplan told the Sentinel. "We are excited to break ground and make this project a reality." Among the professionals who addressed the board for Kaplan were project director Charles Tint, architect Thomas C. Barton and civil and traffic engineer Frank Miskovich. Kaplan told the board that the project has generated quite a bit of excitement, noting that the Web site his company created for the project, www.kaplanathelmetta.com, gets an average of 175 inquiries a month. Tint told the board that it has been a long road for the developer to get to this stage of the process, citing issues with the flood plain delineation, changes in encroachment regulations from the state Department of Environmental Protection and a lead-based paint issue. The building that had lead-based paint chipping off it was demolished and the materials shipped away. Kaplan also had to deal with a lawsuit filed by the building's most recent owner, Helmetta LLC, which was the borough's original redeveloper but was later scrapped in favor of Kaplan. The two development companies settled the lawsuit last year. "We have had much to contend with since being named the redeveloper," Tint said. "... We demolished a building and came across the largest bat population in all of Middlesex County." Bats are often found in dark and moist abandoned buildings, Kaplan said. Hundreds were found in the mill buildings in Helmetta. "All [of the buildings] had bats in them," Kaplan said, adding that a bat abatement was conducted to ensure that they were out of the building before it was demolished. In addition to the residential and retail components of the project, there is a civic or community center planned for parcel one, near Jamesburg County Park, Tint said. He noted that all of that parcel will be for civic or recreational purposes. Tint said that 56 of the 225 proposed units will be new construction, while the remaining 169 units will be located in three existing multistory factory buildings that line Main Street. Tint described the mill buildings on Main Street, which date back to 1916, as "a veritable museum of construction technology," adding that the development company has been evaluating how to best approach the project. One of the site's five parcels, known as parcel five, has been temporarily omitted from the plan, Tint said, noting that the redeveloper is having preliminary discussions with another private entity who owns a portion of the property. "We do not want to advance an application for parcel five until we have a better feel for the entirety of the development potential of that piece," Tint said. He said he still expects to have an application for that parcel by May or June. That application will include the project's retail component, which Kaplan initially proposed to be 10,000 square feet on the bottom floor. Barton told the board that his firm, Barton Architects, specializes adaptive reuse, citing the Phillip Morris Tobacco Row project in Richmond, Va., as an example where his firm redeveloped tobacco warehouses for residential purposes. Barton noted that the age-restricted development will be designated for people 55 years and older. "It is similar to a lot of the product in Monroe," Barton said. The two-story stacked townhouses will have garages, he said, and residents will have direct access to a front entrance from the street. Stacked townhouses have an appearance like a single-family home, but can house a number of residential units. The redeveloper plans to provide 367 parking spaces overall, along with an outdoor swimming pool area with a small cabana, and a 5,000-square-foot community center for residents of the community. While those features are intended for the proposed community, the civic facility will be open to all borough residents, Barton said. Kaplan hopes to keep the prices of the homes at a moderate level, Barton said, noting a cost projection in the low $200,000s to the low $300,000s. He said the builder is waiting for the state Council on Affordable Housing to draw up provisions for municipal obligations for low-income housing on parcel five. The factory buildings on parcel three, along Main Street adjacent to the railroad tracks, will maintain their original forms, Barton said. Significant modification will take place on the eastern part of the building at the front entry to the community on Maple Street, Barton said. Signage reading "Heritage at Helmetta," along with fencing, will create an identity for the community. While Maple Street is a public road, it will also serve as the front door to the development. Barton noted that the building's historic structure was taken into consideration in the plans, but some of the rooms will have hung balconies. "The style will be complimentary," Barton said, "but clearly 21st century." The original Helme Tobacco Co. lettering on one of the mill buildings will be kept to maintain the historical significance of the structure, Barton said, but it will be painted to freshen up and improve the look. This plan is consistent with the redevelopment agreement struck between the borough and the redeveloper, Barton said. Miskovich said that new sanitary sewers are proposed as part of the plan, and have been submitted to the DEP. He said the plan does not include street parking on John or Maple streets. Sidewalks are included in the plans for both sides of Maple Street. Jason Kaplan told a resident of John Street during the meeting that while workers will need to have some trucks traverse that residential road, they will make an effort to keep the road's use to a minimum as a courtesy to residents.