DEVELOPER PROPOSES TRANSIT VILLAGE FOR FORMER J&J SITE
The developer of the former Johnson & Johnson manufacturing site on Route 1 in North Brunswick has proposed to turn the 212-acre campus into a mixed-use transit village with a new train station.

North Brunswick TOD Associates proposes a project to include anywhere from 2,000 to 5,100 loft-style condominiums and rental apartments and from 610,000 to 1.5 million square feet of office space. Also in the plan are 350,000 square feet of retail space, a 200-room hotel and a 100,000 square foot civic building.

The developer expects to appear before the township planning board this month. The board would take at least three months to review the application before putting it to a final vote. The proposal, it is said, could rise or fall on whether a new train station would be built on the site.

North Brunswick TOD Associates acquired the site last spring after an 18-month competition with developers across the country. The Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research has estimated that the completed project would bring 5,200 new residents and generate up to $31 million in annual revenues and more than 5,730 permanent jobs.

CAMPBELL SOUP PLANS $72 MILLION EXPANSION IN CAMDEN
Campbell Soup announced an agreement with state, county and local governments for up to a $72 million project to expand its headquarters in Camden. A 110-acre office park will feature a new 80,000 square-foot employee service building.

The city, county and state governments plan to contribute up to $26 million toward road improvements, water and sewer upgrades and other infrastructure needs.

NEW ATLANTIC CITY-NEW YORK CITY RAIL SERVICE TO BEGIN
Three casinos and state agencies are developing a luxury rail service for weekend trips between New York City and Atlantic City. Starting late this year for a three-year trial, roundtrip tickets are expected to cost about $100 for trains that will offer special amenities.

The rail service will operate 19 trains Fridays through Sundays for two-and-a-half hour trips between New York’s Penn Station and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal. The service is expected to carry 1,100 people each weekend.

Funders include The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Harrah’s Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City in a partnership called Atlantic City Express Service (ACTS). The partnership will spend $15 million for eight bi-level rail cars and will split the $4 million operating costs with the State Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

FEDERAL FUNDING OF $10 MILLION FOR GREEN BROOK FLOOD CONTROL
The long-awaited Green Brook Flood Control Project is expected to receive a major funding boost from the federal government. Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-7th District, has informed the Green Brook Flood Control Commission that $10 million to move the project along is included in President Bush’s budget sent to Congress recently.

The money will go toward completing the first part of the project, a series of levees and flood walls around Bound Brook. The Commission was formed more than 30 years ago after devastating flooding in 1971 and 1973. The overall $420 million project is designed to protect 13 communities in Somerset, Middlesex and Union Counties from severe storms.

HEARINGS SET ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ARC PROJECT
Three public hearings will be held on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) for which the proposed Trans-Hudson rail tunnel would be a key element.

The hearings schedule was announced by the Federal Transit Administration and New Jersey Transit. The hearings will be in open house format and include informational displays and presentations. Information on the impact statement is available on-line at www.accesstotheregionscore.com. Advance registration to speak is available by calling (877) ARC-0999. The schedule is:
Tuesday, March 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, One Newark Center, 17th Floor, Newark, NJ.
Wednesday, March 14, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Schuetzen Park, Main Ballroom, 3167 Kennedy Boulevard, North Bergen, NJ.
Tuesday, March 27, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fashion Institute of Technology, Great Hall, 27th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, Manhattan, NY.

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION REFERENDUM RESULTS CONTINUE TO BE LOW
Three of seven school districts approved school construction ballot questions in the most recent special election held on January 23, 2007. A total of $24,964,529 was approved out of an amount of $89,972,870 in requested funding.

The 42 percent of school construction budgets that passed continues to reflect the low special election results in 2006, said Edwina M. Lee, executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association. The next special election will be held on March 13, 2007.

HEALTH CARE PRODUCTS FIRM TO CONSOLIDATE IN NEW JERSEY
New Jersey will be the consolidated new home of health care products maker Aerocrine. The privately held company plans to consolidate operations now in San Diego, Chicago and New York City into a 15,500-square-foot facility in New Providence.

Aerocrine, a subsidiary of Sweden’s Aercrine AB, makes a device known as Niox sold mainly to teaching hospitals to help doctors and researchers adjust therapies for asthma patients. Aerocrine President Trevor Bourke said New Jersey’s advantages are its strong pharmaceutical industry and proximity to New York City’s financial community.

FOOD PACKAGING FIRM TO BUILD $6 MILLION FACILITY IN SAYREVILLE
Sabert Corporation, a food packaging manufacturer, announced it would construct its world headquarters and research and development center for $6 million in Sayreville.

The 167,000 square-foot center would be on a 12-acre property along the Main Street Extension about a mile from the company’s existing facility. The company will buy the site from the Middlesex County Utilities Authority through a purchase facilitated by the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency.

DESIGN/BUILD CONTRACT AWARDED FOR NEW FOOTBALL STADIUM
The design/build contract of $998 million for the new Meadowlands professional football stadium has been awarded to Skanska USA Building of Parsippany.

As the home field for the New York Jets and Giants, the stadium will also be used for concerts and other entertainment and sports activities. The open-air stadium will seat 82,000 spectators, including 217 luxury suite boxes.

SAVE THE DATE!!!
On Monday, March 12, leading pharmaceutical executives from throughout the state will report on their firms’ capital projects at a conference sponsored by the Alliance for Action and the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey.

The Conference, dubbed “A Shot In The Arm For Business – New Jersey’s $4.6 Billion Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Construction Program”, will be held at the Lafayette Yard Marriott Conference Center in Trenton, with registration and networking at 9 a.m. followed by the program at 10 a.m. The pharmaceutical representatives including officials from Bayer Pharma US, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Stryker and others will be announced in the next Online News later in February.

A full house attended a similar conference last spring. To reserve your place Go Here.

ALLIANCE IN ACTION
Two programs have been scheduled in the Alliance for Action’s very popular “Meet the Players” series.

On Wednesday, February 21, Lt. Colonel Gwen E. Baker, Commander and District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District, will be the speaker. The session will begin at 10 a.m. at the Corps’ District Office in Philadelphia at the Wanamaker Building, 100 Penn Square East, across from City Hall.

The following day, the scene will shift to the Alliance office at Raritan Plaza II, Fieldcrest Avenue, Edison, on Thursday, February 22. The guest speaker will be Tom Carver, Executive Director of the Atlantic City Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. followed by the program at 10:00 a.m.

To reserve a place at either or both events, go to our Calendar page Here.

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