FROM THE NEW JERSEY HERALD (Quincy Newspapers, Inc.)
September 30, 2006
By STEVE NOVAK
Herald Staff Writer
NEWTON -- Ross's Corner may soon get more than a ballpark.
Concluding three days of meetings about the county's prime commercial area in Frankford Township, state engineering consultants presented their recommendations for "town center" development Friday afternoon and encouraged the groups "to get over the stalemate and commit to a course of action."
Developer Sussex Commons has proposed a 90-store upscale outlet mall, a large, two-part structure surrounded by parking lots. The consultants brought in by the county and state suggested that it would be a better design to have the commercial and residential areas closer together.
The plan they proposed breaks up the mall area into four blocks, with retail stores and community centers located around a central square.
"They tried to create a downtown shopping center like those in the 1940s and '50s," said Howard Buerkle, a Sussex Commons principal. "We need to take time to look at the situation and determine if it could be successful. We know that the site plan (with the mall) approved by the town would be successful."
While the Frankford Land Use Board approved the mall plan in May, the board also approved a town center plan that more closely follows the state consultants' recommendations presented Friday to the land use board, developers, county and township officials.
The recommendations were formed after discussions with groups involved in the project and with Frankford residents.
Among the concerns that were incorporated into the presented design were allowing it a "unique identity" by incorporating a shopping center, residential and mixed use areas, but still retaining access to rural areas. The proposed development would occur around the Skylands ballpark and provide access to the Sussex Fairgrounds and trails along the Paulinskill River. A commercial center would be located at Ross's Corner and residential developments would follow along Route 565. A mixed use area -- residences and possibly offices -- would form along Route 206.
The scope of the project has always been a question, especially regarding the mall that was proposed as the cornerstone of the development and how it would fit in with the atmosphere of Frankford and Sussex County as a whole.
"This is several versions of the town center plan coming together," said Ian Lockwood, a representative of the design firm Gladding Jackson. Lockwood emphasized the importance of forming a coherent block structure and "engaging the streets" by bringing businesses up close to the road.
"In the original plan, there were large distances between buildings," Lockwood said. "We wanted to mix the offices with the retail and residential."
Sussex Commons' Buerkle said, "If a shopping center can be pleasing to everyone, that's good. But we have to make sure that it will be financially successful. That's our goal."
The presentation -- which consisted of design aspects and subsequent steps toward development -- was met by general approval by the Land Use Board.
"We're a lot closer (to a final plan) than we were," said Jay Romania, chairman of the board. "What they proposed reflects ideas closer to our master plan."
Romania said that the next step is for the Land Use Board to decide on a final plan using the elements suggested by the consultants. When Romania was asked about a possible timetable for approval of a final plan, he said, "The board will start acting on it within the next month. It's been sitting for far too long."
Maggie Mund, a consultant with the McCormick Taylor group, told the Land Use Board that "it looks overwhelming, but in reality, most of the building blocks are already there."
"All the steps can be done, but you have to get over the stalemate and commit to a course of action," Mund said.
Lawsuits have been filed several times during the development of the plan -- the most recent was filed by Citizens for Responsible Development at Ross's Corner asking the Land Use Board to reconsider their acceptance of the mall plan.
"We'll have to make some modifications to (the proposed plan) and the master plan to make it happen," Romania said. "It's got to be something amenable to the town, the state and the county."
Frankford Township officials have already initiated steps to keep the project moving. A $40,000 Transfer of Development Rights program was initiated in Frankford by the state earlier this month. The program allows the township to buy development rights from property owners and transfer them to developers in Ross's Corner. A town center plan was accepted by the board, although alterations may have to be made in order to meet some of the demands of residents and the state.
The two consulting firms -- McCormick Taylor and Gladding Jackson -- based their development suggestions on the input they received from meeting individually with involved parties and Frankford residents Wednesday and a workshop meeting with the land use board Thursday. Both firms are involved in projects with the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
"The consultants have done an incredible job working both day and night," said County Planner Eric Snyder, who facilitated the meetings. "We hope that the result is a plan with which (everyone) is comfortable and can accept."