HARRISON —
Municipal officials have put into motion plans to build a mixed-use project on the last major vacant section of its waterfront redevelopment area.
On Oct. 3, the mayor and Town Council voted to execute a redevelopment agreement with local industrial park owner Joseph Supor for construction of residential and commercial buildings, primarily at 1000 Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard S. and 600 Guyon Drive.
A parcel at 913 Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard S. may also be included as part of the project.
Part of the deal calls for development of additional deck parking north of Guyon which, officials say, should help solve recurring requests by Red Bull for adequate parking for Arena patrons.
But that arrangement — along with the redevelopment agreement itself — is conditioned on the retirement of bonds issued by the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) for construction of the Harrison Parking Center garage and issuance of new bonds by the Harrison Redevelopment Agency (HRA).
When those conditions are met, the HCIA would be released from any further financial obligations linked to the garage bonds and the HRA would take over those obligations, with the Town of Harrison acting as guarantor of those debts.
Unless those financial requirements are achieved within the next six months, the redevelopment agreement would be scrapped but officials are confident that the conditions will be met.
Meanwhile, Harrison anticipates that Supor will be filing an application for site-plan review with the municipal Planning Board providing architectural and engineering specifications for the project.
As articulated in the conceptual redevelopment agreement approved by the Harrison governing body, Supor — depending on real estate negotiations with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey — will develop one of the two following scenarios:
- Option A calls for 316,300 square-feet of commercial office space, 161,600 square-feet of ground-floor retail, 115,600 square-feet of self-storage space, 752,000 square-feet of residential for 894 apartments and 1,342,500 square-feet of structured parking with 3,805 parking spaces.
- Option B would provide for 230,700 square-feet of commercial office space, 153,000 square-feet of ground-floor retail, 115,600 square-feet of self-storage space, 752,000 square-feet of residential for 894 apartments and 1,170,500 square-feet of structured parking with 3,278 parking spaces.
In either scenario, the mixed uses would be divided among 10 buildings varying in size, from five to 25 stories, and developed in 11 phases spread between June 30, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2032.
Also in both scenarios, there are plans for “60-foot-wide dedicated pedestrian corridor” that would connect the Harrison PATH station with the Red Bull Arena.
Additionally, there would be an interior “ring road, which will loop in a counter-clockwise direction from the eastern portion of Guyon [which] will require minor redistribution of land ownership …”
Plus, the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan would have to be amended “to allow residential and mixed-use [projects] to be permitted north of Guyon Drive, bounded by Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard to the west, Pete Higgins Boulevard to the east and the Amtrak rail easement to the north. Additionally, permitted building heights for these structures will need to be amended.”
It is anticipated that the redeveloper will apply for a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxation) agreement with the town, much as the other waterfront redevelopers have done.
No annual revenue projections have been made under either a scenario of full taxation or abated taxes.
Meanwhile, in another real estate-related matter, the mayor and Town Council voted Oct. 3 to introduce an ordinance to enter into a financial agreement with Heller Urban Renewal LLC for 700 Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard S. which is targeted for construction of “at least 640 residential units and approximately 16,600 square-feet of retail space within five buildings.”
As part of the project, Heller is to construct “an extension of Cifelli Drive to connect to Fifth St., thereby improving traffic circulation in the town.”
Under a long-term PILOT agreement approved by the town Sept. 5, the redeveloper will pay Harrison “at least $812,118 per year upon completion of Phase 1 and upon completion of all buildings … in excess of $2.3 million.”
