Sayreville ERA raises redevelopment application fee to $2,000 after staff review of consultant costs

The Sayreville Economic and Redevelopment Agency on June 20 approved raising the minimum redevelopment application fee for future applicants from $500 to $2,000, citing staff and consultant costs incurred during initial reviews.

Agency staff said the $500 fee proved insufficient to cover the recent cost of professional cursory reviews, which relied on outside engineers and other consultants. Staff reported that two recent applications generated review costs “in excess of $2,000,” prompting the proposed change. The motion to raise the fee passed by roll call with all commissioners voting yes.

Commissioners asked whether the fee had been compared with other municipalities. Staff said they had not completed a comprehensive survey but had used a model from a larger municipality that starts fees at $5,000; staff and counsel said the proposed $2,000 minimum is reasonable for large redevelopment projects and is intended to ensure applicants cover initial review costs.

Agency counsel advised the board that under applicable redevelopment law the agency may charge fees to cover costs and overhead. Counsel also clarified that the agency cannot require an escrow deposit at the application stage; escrow requirements can be imposed later once a conditional or formal redeveloper designation is in place.

Staff said the fee change will be placed on the July agenda as a resolution for adoption; during the meeting the board made and approved a motion to put the increase forward and recorded a final vote accepting the increase.

No dollar amounts for future comprehensive reviews or escrow levels were adopted in the meeting; staff said these will be set through future resolutions or redevelopment agreements as needed.