Council adopts Tredden Square plan to redevelop former Old Bridge landfill with developer-led cleanup

The Old Bridge Township Council voted June 23 to adopt the Tredden Square redevelopment plan, a move council members and planning staff say will enable a private redeveloper to finish remediation of a long-closed municipal landfill and convert a limited portion of the roughly 250-acre site for housing while preserving the remainder as parkland.

Vena, the township planning presenter, told the council that the property is a former municipal landfill under Department of Environmental Protection oversight and that only about 60 acres of the site are developable; "the rest all is going to be preserved and it'll be donated to Cheesquake State Park," the planner said. She said the redevelopment plan is intended to allow a redeveloper to undertake the cleanup and "expedite the process to finish cleaning up the property so that it can be developed and put back to useful life for the Township."

Why it matters: residents and council members framed the debate around three linked questions — who pays for cleanup, how long remediation will take, and what the development will mean for local traffic, schools and utilities. Planners said DEP must approve the developer’s cleanup plan; once approved, they estimated the cleanup execution period could be three to five years. The planner also cited an LSRP estimate that the town-facing cost to finish remediation could be on the order of $20 million if the municipality carried the work.

Public concerns and the council response: residents asked for specifics about acreage, the composition of the housing and infrastructure impacts. Joanne Sites, a resident who identified parcel details and asked about water and road capacity, was told the plan envisions two districts: a residential district closer to Old Road and an environmental/recreation zone for preservation. Paul Morabito asked for acreage breakdowns; the planner answered that the whole area is roughly 250 acres, of which about 60 acres are developable and roughly 200 acres would be donated to Cheesquake State Park for preservation. Councilman Merwin and other members pressed developers and staff about the maximum unit count and parking: the ordinance uses a maximum, "up to" 450 units in plan documents, but staff stressed that final unit counts, parking allocations and site layout will be determined at the planning-board site-plan stage.

Financial terms: the planning presenter said developers have agreed to undertake the cleanup rather than the township bonding for work; historically, the township had been on the hook in a prior settlement to repurchase the site for $8.5 million, but current negotiations envision the redeveloper completing remediation and paying the property owner. Staff emphasized that developer-funded off-site road and circulation improvements along Route 9 and adjacent roadways will be required as part of approvals.

What happens next: the ordinance adoption enables the uses in the redevelopment plan but does not approve a final site plan. Those plans will come to the planning board for public hearings, technical review, and specific conditions including off-site roadway improvements, parking standards (subject to RSIS rules), and DEP remediation approvals. Council members and residents were reminded that DEP sets remediation standards for former landfills and that final uses for the former landfill area will be limited by DEP's approvals.

Council action: after public comment and council discussion, a motion to adopt the Tredden Square redevelopment plan carried on roll call. The council and staff emphasized that the plan is only the next procedural step; detailed site plans and DEP remediation approvals must be completed before development or residential construction can begin.

The planning board will review any formal site submissions once the redeveloper provides plans; timelines for DEP approvals and construction were not fixed and depend on the developer’s remediation plan and DEP review schedule.