Section of Spotswood eyed for redevelopment

SPOTSWOOD - The Asbury Fuel building and the surrounding area is a part of town that borough officials have been considering for redevelopment.

The section of Snowhill Street between Adirondack Avenue and Main Street could benefit from new businesses and the removal of some eyesores, and possibly even a new traffic pattern, officials said. Discussion on the matter goes back several years, but was recently rekindled.

"We've been talking about redevelopment there for a long time. It goes back to the late '90s," said Mayor Barry Zagnit, noting that over the years he spoke to at least four major developers regarding the redevelopment prospect. "I've shown them various areas that we think should be considered for redevelopment, but none of the visits ever materialized."

A major hurdle for any Snowhill Street project is the contours of the land, because there is a steep slope as well as stream encroachment issues and wetlands.

There are also traffic pattern issues to be resolved where Snowhill Street meets Main Street, and officials have discussed grouping a road realignment project there, with improvements being discussed for the intersection of Main and Vliet streets.

Zagnit said he believes the redevelopment and the road project should be looked at as a separate issue from the redevelopment, in part because of the time-consuming and costly nature of realigning the road in an environmentally sensitive area.

"It could be years before anything is done," he said. "But we're in dire need of redevelopment, and to reconstruct the road could impede that process."

While there are some successful businesses nearby, council President Curtis Stollen has described the area as "underdeveloped, run down and boarded up." Many people are annoyed by the condition of the buildings, he said, and there is a desire in town to see the area improved.

Borough Attorney Gary Schwartz said there is a specific process to follow if the council decides to move forward with the redevelopment idea. The first move would be to have the Planning Board investigate the property to determine whether it meets the criteria as an area in need of redevelopment. The board would then file a report and make a recommendation to the council, which could then adopt an ordinance and declare the land a redevelopment zone.

Officials hope to bring in new businesses that would also help the town by paying more taxes.

"Ideally, I'd love to see the area become more of a retail center," Zagnit said. Because the land is somewhat limited, he said it is possible there would be retail buildings on one side of the street, parking on the other - likely the side with the slope.

The mayor said he would like to see new businesses in a pedestrian-friendly area with some open space, sidewalks and benches.