Hawthorne council designates former Pan Chemical site as area in need of redevelopment, while members raise parking and housing concerns

Hawthorne Borough Council on Tuesday approved a resolution finding the former Pan Chemical site qualifies as an area in need of redevelopment, a step borough officials say is intended to speed cleanup and return the property to productive use.

Attorney Michael Pasquale told the council the site is “contaminated, but the contamination is contained to the site,” and is not a Superfund-level hazardous site. He said the designation would enable cleanup and redevelopment under state law and help put the property back on the tax rolls.

Council members pressed administration and planning staff about likely uses and limits. Several members expressed sharp concern about parking and density if housing is proposed on the transit-adjacent parcel. “One of the great concerns we would have with any development on that site is parking,” the borough planner said, noting the surrounding neighborhood has little extra parking. The planner and counsel said the borough would demand parking be included in any redevelopment design, and that parking could be required under design and zoning conditions.

Council members also questioned the timing of developer discussions before the housing element and fair-share plan are formally adopted. Pasquale and the planner said informal developer conversations are common; any rezoning or binding approvals would require later council action. Pasquale cautioned, however, that court orders tied to affordable-housing obligations can limit the borough’s ability to block housing on designated sites.

The motion to include the Pan Chemical site on the borough’s redevelopment plan was approved as part of the consent agenda. Administration said the owner (or prospective developer) must remediate the site to residential standards before residential use could occur, and noted DEP and state oversight would be involved in soil removal and cleanup.

The council’s action does not itself authorize construction or zoning changes. Next steps described by staff include preparing the redevelopment plan and continuing planning-board review of the housing element and fair-share plan. If a developer submits a formal proposal, the council said it would seek specific commitments on parking and design as part of any rezoning or redevelopment agreement.

The council meeting included numerous related community and planning items, and officials said they would continue to report back as the redevelopment plan and housing element progress.