Developers present Kenview redevelopment concepts; residents raise flood, traffic and preservation concerns

Developers Eli Khan and Matt Adams of econ development corp presented three conceptual options for the Kenview campus in Skillman on Sept. 8: a buy-right industrial buildout, mixed-use concepts that preserve the large South Building, and a fair‑share residential plan the township adopted in its Round 4 submission that would total about 417 housing units and dedicate roughly 125 acres as open space. The Planning Board emphasized the meeting was informational; no formal approvals or board deliberations took place.

The presentation laid out site facts, zoning and infrastructure. The property includes three tax parcels north and south of Grandview Road, a roughly 455,000‑square‑foot South Building (a former diaper plant), a ~279,000‑square‑foot office/R&D building, an on‑site wastewater treatment plant permitted at about 62,000 gallons per day, and nearly 2,000 existing parking spaces. Developers said the site is served by New Jersey American Water, PSE&G gas and a dual‑fed electric service and noted an existing rooftop and ground‑mounted solar array of about 3 megawatts that was installed circa 2005 and is near the end of its useful life.

Why it matters: developers said the residential fair‑share concept reduces some local impacts compared with an industrial reuse. Using standard ITE trip generation assumptions, consultants reported existing campus conditions generate roughly 5,468 total daily trips, a full buy‑right industrial build‑out could exceed 8,000 daily trips (about 402 trucks/day on a 24‑hour basis), while the fair‑share residential plan would drop total trips to roughly 3,200 per day and have far fewer truck movements. Presenters also said the fair‑share concept would reduce impervious surface versus current conditions (presented as a ~22% reduction) and include modern stormwater practices rather than the older conveyance‑only systems now on site.

Residents and local groups pushed back. Shelly Jacobson urged the developer and board to preserve the I. M. Pei campus as an arts center rather than demolishing it, saying the building is an architecturally significant work. The Sourland Conservancy (represented by Steve Bales) and other commenters urged removing the Kenview parcel from the fair‑share plan and cited the Sourlands as an environmentally sensitive area with rare species. Flooding was a recurring theme: resident Evan Cabano described repeated historic closures of the site from flood damage under previous ownership and warned that placing residences in flood‑hazard areas could impose long‑term homeowner hardships and repeated FEMA claims.

Residents also questioned the consultants’ numbers. Joanna Filac and others argued the tax‑revenue estimates in the packet implied per‑unit figures ($20,000–$23,000 per unit) that called affordability into question. Multiple speakers said the traffic and fiscal analyses appeared ‘‘cherry‑picked’’ or overstated. Developers and board members said licensed consultants prepared the studies, the township will have its consultants review the materials, and environmental constraints (wetland delineations, a DEP flood‑hazard verification and an ALTA survey) were submitted or updated in 2021 and again within the last year.

What comes next: the developers and township said objections filed to the fair‑share plan proceed to a state mediation process led by retired judges; the township also signaled it will continue public outreach (additional town halls and listening sessions) and that any final land‑development approvals would require detailed engineering, DEP permits, stormwater calculations and review by township consultants. The Planning Board noted that when a final plan is submitted, the board will review it under ordinance standards and any approval would be subject to engineering and regulatory review.

Quotes that capture the split: "We did not come into this township with the idea of building 417 houses," developer Eli Khan said, describing the buy‑right industrial rationale. "Let's create a special place unlike anything in Montgomery," Shelly Jacobson told the developers, urging preservation of the I. M. Pei campus. "We urge Montgomery Township to return to its staunch support of the Sourlands," Steve Bales said, calling high‑density housing in the area unjustified.

Minutes and procedural actions: the board approved minutes for the regular meeting of June 23, 2025, and the special meeting of June 26, 2025, by roll call earlier in the agenda; those motions were procedural and not related to the Kenview concepts presented tonight.

The Planning Board closed the informational meeting after public comment and listed future meeting dates; no zoning or land‑development decisions were made at this session.