Planning board recommends adding Sunshine Biscuits parcels to Hercules redevelopment area

The Sayreville Planning Board voted to forward to Borough Council a recommendation that five parcels around the Hercules Redevelopment Area — including the 48-acre former Sunshine Biscuits site — be considered for inclusion in the borough’s redevelopment plan.

Planner Veena Sawant presented an addendum study requested by the council (resolution dated Sept. 23, 2024) and said the five parcels (Block 14, Lot 1; Block 53.02, Lot 8; Block 54.01, Lots 1.01, 1.02 and 7) are underutilized or vacant, have problematic site layouts or access constraints, and lie within the Smart Growth/metropolitan planning area. Sawant said the former Sunshine Biscuits parcel alone is roughly 48 acres and historically has had multiple tenants, internal circulation and loading areas that are not well delineated, ponding/leaks inside buildings and numerous reports of theft, trespass and minor accidents.

Sawant told the board the past master-plan amendment recommended studying properties surrounding the Hercules Redevelopment Area for potential inclusion; several of the five parcels are vacant or lightly used, and planned roadway improvements in the neighboring municipality make coordinated planning desirable. She applied the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law criteria and concluded each parcel meets one or more thresholds (vacancy, obsolete or unsafe building conditions, excessive impervious coverage, multiple ownerships complicating redevelopment, and being within the Smart Growth planning area). The Middlesex County utility authority, DEP-owned parcels and a railroad-owned lot were among the parcels examined; Sawant said some parcels might be appropriate for open-space or utility preservation while others could be prioritized for redevelopment.

A public comment segment included a long-time resident who urged more preservation of open space and trees in town; planner Sawant and the board said preserving open space where appropriate would be considered during the redevelopment-planning phase. After questions and no further public opposition, the planning board voted by roll call to recommend the council designate the five parcels for inclusion in the Hercules redevelopment area (Kandel yes; Larman yes; Volusin yes; Williams yes; Chairman Tai yes). That recommendation will be transmitted to the Borough Council, which must vote to formally designate the parcels and later adopt a redevelopment plan with specifics on permitted uses, design and public improvements.

Next steps: the planning department and redevelopment agency will coordinate follow-up (including engineering/utility coordination and targeted public outreach) and, if council designates the parcels, draft a redevelopment plan that addresses circulation, loading, landscaping, open-space preservation and potential public-infrastructure improvements.