Cranford Posts Presentation For 750 Walnut Mixed-Use Development

CRANFORD, NJ — The township of Cranford has posted its most recent presentation of the proposed mixed-use development that's planned for Hartz Mountain's property at 750 Walnut Ave. It will contain warehouse space and residential housing, some of which will be affordable.

This past December, Cranford Mayor Patrick Giblin had announced that the Township of Cranford reached a settlement with Hartz Mountain to develop their property at 750 Walnut Ave. at a density far less than their original 2018 application to build 900 units. READ MORE: Cranford Reaches Agreement With Developer Of 750 Walnut Ave.

That earlier application had been denied by the Planning Board in 2019. After a year of negotiations between the township and the developer, they decided last year to split the 30-acre property into a 240,000 square-foot warehouse and 250 residential units.

"The residential component will have 212 market rate units and 38 affordable units," Giblin announced on Dec. 18, 2020. "The Township expects that Hartz will request a 30-year PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) but only for the residential site and the commercial portion will pay conventional property taxes."

In addition, Hartz Mountain and the Township of Cranford mutually agreed to dismiss all the pending litigation between each other.

On the town's website, they posted on Friday their presentation from Thursday's town hall on the development. Click here to view.

The town also had held a "town hall" about the project in fall. The draft settlement resolution can be found here, as can the settlement summary and proposed PILOT agreement.

A group called Cranford Residents Against Overdevelopment had criticized the original plan. They post updates on their website, including one about the township's Fairness and Compliance court hearing on April 12. Read it here.

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