Crime & Safety

Brick Group Calls for Referendum on Former Foodtown Site

Developer still in talks with township officials after proposing condos last year

The Friends of Forge Pond group has called on Brick officials to put the future of the embattled former Route 70 Foodtown site on the ballot in order to let the people decide how the site should be redeveloped.

It looks unlikely, however, that a referendum will ever occur.

"We’re requesting that this be put to a referendum," John Zingis, a township resident who founded the Friends of Forge Pond organization told council members on Tuesday. "The prior administration had a citizens’ redevelopment advisory board that was formed. It consisted of a lot of people doing a lot of work. We would like the council to consider a referendum."

Zingis, and others at the meeting, expressed frustration with the slow pace of redevelopment at the site and the dearth of information on what is happening behind closed doors at town hall as conversations continue to take place between officials and M&M Realty Partners, the redeveloper of the site.

Kevin Starkey, township attorney, said any conversations or negotiations with M&M are subject to attorney-client privilege and cannot be divulged to the public until the seven-member township council needs to take action on any plan to modify the redevelopment agreement or approve of a project.

"It is, to a degree, confidential," explained Starkey, but no action will be taken without public input.

"Anything that comes out of discussions must become a subject of a public hearing. It must be public noticed," he said.

Last year, M&M requested a change in the redevelopment agreement it signed with the township years earlier. The current agreement calls for a full-service hotel to be built at the site, though marketing studies conducted more recently by experts hired by the township and M&M have said such a project would not be viable in Brick.

M&M requested the council change the agreement to allow them to build a 192 unit condominium complex, about 19,000 square feet of commercial space and 72 additional rental units located on top of the commercial portion.

The request was met by fierce opposition from both township residents and some elected officials after it was made.

Though M&M is the chosen redeveloper, the property still belongs to Brick. M&M would be required to pay $7.5 million to the township for the lot before construction would begin on any development there.

The site was purchased by the township in 2003 during the administration of former Mayor Joseph Scarpelli with the idea being to construct a community center there. Plans came later for a hotel and banquet facility, and ultimately the township council selected M&M as the redeveloper.

Township resident Melinda Murray, part of the Friends of Forge Pond group, told council members this week that she would like to see expanded public access to Forge Pond from the site, which is currently only accessible by way of a small turn-off from Route 70.

"You see egrets, herons, bald eagles, and it’s all right there, right off Route 70," she said. "It would be a shame to put something in there that would destroy any of it."


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