Recreation plan sought for property
Marlboro leaders seek ideas from interested developers
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer
Marlboro officials want to hear from people who would like to have a chance to develop a recreation facility on Tennent Road, Marlboro.

To that end, municipal officials announced last week that they are seeking requests for qualifications and proposals for recreational opportunities to redevelop a parcel of municipally owned property off Tennent Road near Route 520.

The 64-acre property was deemed to be an area in need of redevelopment by the Planning Board in November.

The property lies along Tennent Road, northeast of Route 18 and north of Route 520, in the area where Amboy Road meets Tennent Road. The property contains a Marlboro Township Municipal Utilities Authority water tank and is crisscrossed with various easements.

A legal notice that was published in a local daily newspaper states that Marlboro is looking for qualified redevelopers to lease and redevelop a portion of the property. The notice states that the purpose of using the land is "for additional recreational opportunities, including the construction and operation of a multiuse indoor recreational facility."

Mayor Jonathan Hornik told the News Transcript that upon taking office in 2008 he examined all of the property Marlboro owns. During a series of public meetings, residents indicated a need for recreational space or uses. Hornik said the suggestions that were made through the so-called visioning process prompted officials to look at the Tennent Road property.

The mayor said the property fits within the statutory regulations as an area in need of redevelopment. On Nov. 5, representatives from the township's planner, Heyer, Gruel and Associates, informed members of the Planning Board during a public hearing that 90 percent of the property is environmentally encumbered.

The Planning Board members found that under a subsection of the redevelopment laws, the parcel met the criteria required to receive a redevelopment designation.

It was explained at the November hearing that the only uses that would be allowed on the site would be parks, recreation, open space or the use of solar energy panels.

Hornik told the News Transcript he would like to see an indoor recreation facility in Marlboro, but he said the local government cannot expect residents to foot the bill for such a facility. He said Marlboro is seeking a public-private partnership to redevelop the Tennent Road property.

The mayor described the possible partnership as a win for all those involved, since residents would get a needed facility, the township would lease the property to its partner and the partner would have established itself in Marlboro.

"I want Marlboro to have the best of everything," Hornik said.

While the redevelopment study was before the Planning Board in November, residents noted that traffic is heavy on the section of Tennent Road near Route 520 and Route 18. Some people questioned whether placing anything on the property would be a good use, as it would cause additional traffic concerns. At that time the mayor said he did not know what, if anything, would be placed on the Tennent Road property.

Now that proposals are being sought, Hornik said the approval for any specific proposal would have to be granted by the Planning Board before any construction could commence. Traffic studies would have to be conducted and those results would be taken into consideration by the board members before they made their final decision, he said.

Proposals for the Tennent Road redevelopment property are due at the township attorney's office by Feb. 24.