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 years and is landlocked, making private redevelopment unlikely without assembly of adjoining parcels. - The building on Lot 43 houses a long‑running dry cleaner with two upstairs apartments; Kocenja described several maintenance and safety issues (broken windows, an exterior stair with wood rot and no guardrail) and interior water stains that could indicate long‑term deterioration. - The on‑site parking configuration provides about 10 marked spaces on paper, but Kocenja estimated only 2–3 meet contemporary accessibility and maneuvering standards, with several spaces effectively inaccessible without crossing adjacent property or backing onto the sidewalk. - Historical environmental testing found chlorinated solvents in soil and groundwater (the presentation and cited reports identified PCE/TCE and related contaminants and referenced NJDEP records and Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) reports). Kocenja said prior investigatory reports (2018 and an updated 2024 report) documented contamination above applicable standards and recommended further work.

Opposition and counter‑testimony: The property owner and his attorney strongly opposed designation. Attorney Thomas Olsen, representing Bethel Realty and the operating tenant, argued the three tax lots function as a single commercially assessed parcel and that many of the planner's observations were speculative or readily remediable maintenance issues. Owner Robert Lee and expert planner Peter Steck testified that the cleaner is an active, long‑running business with regular customers; Steck concluded the record does not contain "substantial credible evidence" that would require finding the area meets the legal standard for condemnation‑capable redevelopment. Steck also questioned the application of the "section 3" statutory provision the borough planner cited (which permits including otherwise conforming properties when necessary for effective redevelopment), arguing the planner's report expressly disavowed endorsing any specific larger site plan that would make Lot 49 indispensable.

Public comments: Dozens of Highland Park residents spoke during public comment. Multiple customers and neighbors described Classic Cleaners as a longstanding, well‑used neighborhood business. One frequent customer said, "he's the best dry cleaner in town," and several neighbors asked the borough and developer to pursue negotiated solutions that would preserve the business and relocate tenants if acquisition proceeds.

Board action and vote: After hearings from both sides and lengthy discussion the Planning Board voted to recommend that Borough Council declare the study area an area in need of redevelopment with the combination (condemnation) option. The motion passed on a roll‑call vote: Rusher (yes), Chen (yes), Tehazi (no), Hale (yes), Malay (yes), Kralman (yes), Sterling Cardenal (yes), Williams (yes), Hill (yes). The board's recommendation will be forwarded to Borough Council for its decision; designation by the council is the step that would formally adopt the redevelopment area and enable possible condemnation procedures.

Next steps and limits: Board members and counsel reiterated that a Planning Board recommendation does not itself transfer property or require condemnation; it forwards a factual determination to council. If the council later authorises use of eminent domain, statutory relocation assistance and fair‑market compensation processes apply. The planner said the borough has previously pursued assembly and relocation discussions with the owner and that the borough has used grant and municipal funds in earlier environmental investigation steps; details of remediation and long‑term cleanup remain subject to NJDEP oversight and LSRP reports.

Votes at a glance: - Recommendation to Borough Council: declare Lots 43, 46 and 49 (Tract A study area) an "area in need of redevelopment" with combination (condemnation) authority — Board recommendation passed on roll call (8 yes, 1 no). The recommendation now goes to Borough Council; any exercise of condemnation would be a separate council action.

- (Earlier on the agenda) Resolution P2025‑1, memorializing the minor site plan and waivers for SYC Realty, LLC (adopted by the board subject to two wording changes). Specific roll‑call tallies for that resolution were recorded during the meeting and the resolution was adopted; details were discussed on the record and the adopted resolution will be part of the meeting minutes.

What to watch: Borough Council must now consider the board's recommendation and decide whether to adopt a redevelopment ordinance that includes the combination designation. If council adopts the designation and later elects to use condemnation powers, compensation and relocation rules and NJDEP/LSRP remediation obligations would govern any acquisition and cleanup. The board indicated it has been negotiating behind the scenes about relocation and potential alternatives but did not present a final agreement at this meeting.

Ending: The Borough Council will receive the board's recommendation; no property transfers or condemnations follow automatically from the planning board's vote. The Classic Cleaners property, its tenants and neighbors remain subject to further municipal and state review, and any council decision will be the next formal public step on this item.