Millington Village will bring a host of benefits to the core of Millington to strengthen the community for years to come. These benefits include:
The Millington Village proposal complements, strengthens and implements a number of the goals stated in the Township’s Millington Development Plan. The Development Plan highlights the need to provide for a variety of housing types, specifically multifamily residential, in the community. This project affirmatively addresses this goal by introducing new transit oriented rental housing to address the needs of young professionals, empty nesters and seniors who wish to remain in the community. The available census data indicates this is a segment of the market that is underserved locally.
The Millington Development Plan also identifies the large amount of industrial space and lack of retail sales and service uses in Millington as major liabilities affecting the village. This proposal redevelops the obsolete industrial buildings into a vibrant residential community with commercial shops carefully integrated into the design to meet the contemporary sales and service needs of those living in this development and the larger Millington community.
Moreover, this type of development is supported and encouraged by the State of New Jersey, the Long Hill Master Plan (longhillnj.gov/PB/master-plan) and an overwhelming majority of those Long Hill residents responding to a survey conducted last year (longhillnj.gov survey).
This redevelopment proposal will address any environmental issues that were not within the scope of the capping of the 4-acre landfill. The proposed redevelopment of the site will not disturb the capped area in any way except for the replacement of the existing, unsightly chain link fence. All construction on the property will be conducted in strict accordance with all applicable state and federal guidelines.
The property is already developed for industrial use and, except for the capped area and a few small patches of grass, is completely covered by buildings or pavement. When redeveloped, the amount of impervious coverage will be reduced significantly and replaced with lawn and landscaped areas thereby enhancing the visual environment. Moreover, Millington Village’s interconnectedness with public transit and walkable design will encourage pedestrianism for everyday needs and commuting, further reducing the need for a car.
The visual environment and sense of place will be enhanced by Millington Village with the demolition of the existing poorly maintained 155,000 square foot industrial facility located in the heart of the Village of Millington. Quality architectural design will match and enhance the character of the surrounding community while improving light, air and visibility through the site from all surrounding roadways. This proposal also enhances the aesthetics of sidewalk streetscapes to encourage pedestrianism. The community will benefit further from the careful arrangement of commercial space to reinforce the neighborhood commercial area and create a public plaza feature for uses such as outdoor dining, public gatherings, art exhibits antique shows, or small music events.
Millington Village will generate significant economic benefits for the Township. The residential and commercial space combined is expected to create over 300 construction jobs, in addition to over 100 permanent employment opportunities created once Millington Village is complete. Overall, the redevelopment will generate a significant increase in tax revenue over and above the current tax receipts received on the property without increase in municipal services since trash removal and snow clearing services will be privately maintained.
Millington Village will be predominately comprised of one- and two-bedroom units. Based on industry standard calculations derived from U.S. Census information and data specific to northern New Jersey, it is anticipated that only 20-24 school age children will reside in this community. The additional tax revenues will more than compensate for the impact on the schools.
Millington Village will also expand the potential customer base for local businesses to attract. It is anticipated that the prospective tenants will earn a minimum of $76,000 to qualify for a one-bedroom apartment and $96,000 to qualify for a two-bedroom at the rents expected to be charged in this community. Based on retail expenditure data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, residents for this development are likely to spend nearly $8 million annually on local goods and services. These households will have ongoing local shopping needs for a variety of goods and services.
Data shows Millington Village will generate fewer weekday peak a.m. and peak p.m. trips than the site’s existing industrial use. Therefore, this proposal would not be expected to have a significant impact on traffic operations of the adjacent roadway network. Moreover, historic use of the site utilized heavy vehicles, whereas Millington Village will instead see passenger vehicles and encourage pedestrianism and use of public transit.