Highland Park planning board recommends redevelopment designation with condemnation option for downtown parcel housing Classic Cleaners

The Highland Park Planning Board voted on March 6 to recommend that Borough Council declare a three‑lot parcel in the downtown Redevelopment Tract A — including the property occupied by Classic Cleaners — an area in need of redevelopment that could be designated as a "combination" area, allowing the borough to use condemnation powers if the council so decides.

Borough planner Chris Kocenja presented a preliminary investigation of Lots 43, 46 and 49 (Block/lot references used in the study) and told the board the parcels together total “about half an acre” and show multiple physical and environmental problems that, in his opinion, meet statutory criteria for redevelopment. Kocenja said the rear parcel (Lot 49) has been vacant for decades and is effectively landlocked, the on‑site parking and circulation are functionally deficient, and historic contamination remains in soil and groundwater. "It is my opinion that the study here is such mentions that safety, health, morals, and welfare in your community is important to the criteria," Kocenja told the board, concluding the parcel meets the standards for designation.

Why it matters: designation as an "area in need of redevelopment" that includes the combination (condemnation) option would authorise the governing body to assemble parcels and — if it later chooses to exercise eminent domain — acquire private property for a coordinated redevelopment plan. The board emphasized the recommendation is only the planning board's finding; any use of condemnation would be the Borough Council's separate decision.

What the planner found: Kocenja told the board his office inspected the parcels and reviewed records. Key findings presented to the board included: - Lot 49 (the rear lot) has been recorded as vacant for roughly 30…