At its Aug. 14 meeting, the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency told commissioners that construction at the Bass Pro Shop site in Riverton is continuing and that site work has begun on an off-site water main extension from the Raritan Street pump station toward Oak Street. Justin, a staff member who presented the engineer report, said, “As we can all see, work continues in the Bass Pro Shop site at Riverton. They’ve started site improvements, and they continue work in the pump station. This month, they’ve also begun work on the off-site water main extension from the Raritan Street pump station to Oak Street.”

Why it matters: The water-main tie and pump-station work support the larger Bass Pro site and associated pad-site construction; agency staff said the shell of the Bass Pro building is expected to be finished this fall, at which point the building will be turned over to Bass for interior fit-out. That sequencing matters for associated roadway, sanitary and water connections and for planned pad-site development.

Agency planner Veena said she received final plans for the Sunshine Biscuit site and will begin her review. Veena said she will provide comments and a summary to staff while she is out of the country before the next regularly scheduled meeting; she told commissioners the developer expects to submit a site plan for the agency to review at the next meeting. Veena also told commissioners she is coordinating with NJ Transit and NJDOT on a Transit Village possibility near local bus stops; she said Sayreville has been included alongside Old Bridge in the Transit Village conversation.

Legal and process steps: Attorney Michael Baker told the agency he and Veena will prepare the redevelopment plan and the redevelopment agreement drafts for the board’s review. Baker said the agency will review drafts and then pass them to the borough council for ordinance action and that, after council approval, the borough and developer would negotiate a pilot agreement. Baker described an earlier, modified MOU regarding a brownfield area; he said the borough itself would not be asked to sign that DEP/agency MOU.

What the agency clarified: Multiple speakers stressed that the redevelopment plan would not include condemnation. Veena said, “there is no condemnation in our redevelopment plan. We are not gonna condemn any properties.” She added that property owners would be offered a plan and voluntary options for improvements.

Next steps and timing: Staff said the Bass Pro shell is expected to be completed this fall and that site work on gateway/pad sites is advancing. Veena will circulate comments on Sunshine Biscuit final plans while out of the country and is scheduled to present an area-in-need study to the planning board on the 20th. Because Veena will be away on the agency’s September meeting date, staff said they will discuss whether to hold a special meeting or wait until the next regular meeting for reviews and approvals.

Discussion v. decision: The meeting record shows presentations and direction to prepare draft plans and agreements; no new redevelopment ordinance or pilot agreement was approved at the Aug. 14 meeting.

Ending: Commissioners praised staff for coordinating multiple projects. Agency staff listed several active redevelopment efforts — including Bass Pro, Sunshine Biscuit, downtown improvements and the Gillette Towers matter — and said work will continue on planning and site approvals in the coming weeks.