Highland Park Borough Council convenes to discuss redevelopment of Downtown, Cleveland Avenue

On Tuesday, the Highland Park Borough Council hosted its monthly redevelopment entity meeting to discuss the redevelopment of designated town areas.

After the roll call of the mayor, six council members and the borough administrator, the meeting began with the approval of a resolution to review the redevelopment negotiations in a closed session.

In response to questions from The Daily Targum, Teri Jover, the redevelopment director and the council's borough administrator, said that current redevelopment efforts encompass two separate areas in the town: downtown commercial zones adjacent to Raritan Avenue and properties classified as in need of rehabilitation on Cleveland Avenue.

Joseph Baumann, the council's special counsel, said that the goals of the redevelopment plans are to stimulate economic activity and attract new residents through the revitalization of downtown Highland Park.

Additionally, Baumann agreed that the council hopes that the redevelopment efforts will encourage more Rutgers students and faculty to live in Highland Park and help build a better relationship between the University and the town.

During public comments, Mary Botteon, a Highland Park resident, asked when property owners residing in the proposed Cleveland Avenue redevelopment area would be included in writing the plan or introduced to redevelopment agents.

Elsie Foster, the mayor of Highland Park, said that she is unable to provide a specific time, but that the council will create a space for public input on a draft of the redevelopment plan. Jover added that the redevelopment process is in an early stage, and partnerships with property developers have not been initiated.

"Just to be clear, there is no plan for the redevelopment of (Botteon's) parcel or the area," Matthew Hale, a councilman and chair of the council's Economic Development and Planning committee, said. "All it is is preliminary discussions about the entire area, so there is no redevelopment plan at this point."

Mary Forsberg, another resident, asked the council why negotiations focused on residential and commercial properties currently in use.

"We just clarified that we are not condemning or taking anyone's private personal properties," Foster said. "But, in order to do the redevelopment study, we're looking at the (Cleveland Avenue) area."

Resident Ira Mintz asked why the council was pursuing further redevelopment discussions in private, citing the Open Public Meetings Act.

Baumann said that the council reserves the right to enter closed sessions in accordance with an exception outlined in the act that includes anticipated contract discussions, such as redevelopment plans.

Gerald Pomper, a resident, asked about the mayor's announcement of a new supermarket for the town after the closure of a local Stop & Shop earlier this year.

Foster confirmed that there is an agreement in place and that public disclosure about the selected supermarket is forthcoming.