Millburn committee approves settlement to move 9 Main Street affordable housing downtown

The Millburn Township Committee voted unanimously July 29 to approve a settlement that moves the long‑disputed 9 Main Street affordable‑housing obligation from the DPW yard to a downtown mixed‑use site at Essex/Spring/Millburn Avenue.

Special counsel Joe Baumann, who led the presentation, said the revised project would deliver 93 units total — 75 affordable units and 18 market‑rate units — with ground‑floor commercial space and no known contamination history at the new site. “The new project is now 93 units, not 75,” Baumann said during the presentation, adding that the site “has no known contamination history” and should avoid the remediation and future liability risks tied to the DPW property. He presented an estimated project cost of about $25.875 million and an estimated gap subsidy of roughly $21.85 million (figures described in the presentation as estimates subject to design and financing). The settlement also includes a one‑time payment of $1,750,000 from the township to RPM as part of the negotiated terms.

The committee authorized execution of the global settlement agreement (Resolution 26‑182), adopted a resolution of need for the proposed downtown redevelopment (Resolution 26‑183), and introduced bond and redevelopment ordinances to fund and formalize the deal; all votes were recorded by roll call and carried. Officials said the plan will be referred to the planning board for review and that several closing steps — including court approval of the settlement and the planning‑board review of the redevelopment plan — must occur before construction, with an anticipated design/finance/closing timeline stretching into 2028.

Supporters framed the settlement as a way to meet fair‑share obligations while protecting public health and municipal finances by avoiding extensive remediation of the DPW site. A number of residents who spoke at public comment praised the decision as safer and fiscally prudent; Oiene Njechek, a Millburn resident, said the shift “shields future tenants from exposure” and called the downtown plan “responsible.”

Opponents urged greater transparency and more time to review consolidated settlement documents. Speakers warned that converting the obligation from a 100% affordable project to a mixed‑income project could affect eligibility for certain state grants. Committee members responded that the funding gap estimates accounted for grant assumptions and that RPM is obligated in the settlement to pursue available grants.

The committee signed the agreement in public and authorized the financial and redevelopment steps necessary to move the project forward. The planning board will review the redevelopment plan at the referral stage; the governing body will adopt final ordinances after receiving planning‑board comments.