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(10) Connell Development
Address
Connell Drive - Block 4102 lot 1 Block 4301 lot 1.02 Block 4301 lot 1.011 Block 4301 lot 1.012
Background
The Berkeley Heights Township Council amended the Municipal Land Use Procedures Ordinance in 2017 to create the OR-A1 Zone. The OR-A1 Zone increased the allowable retail space from 45,000 square feet to 85,000 square feet, and increased the permitted principal uses to include:
- Multi-family rental residential housing (328 units) with an inclusionary affordable housing component,
- Retail uses including supermarkets, restaurants, entertainment venues,
- General retail sales & services, and
- Various amenities (including clubhouse, swimming pool, fitness center, playgrounds, and recreational courts)
The Connell Corporate Park was thereby divided into three separate zone districts (OR-A, OR-A1 and OR-B) as shown in Figure 1. Since 2017, the Connell Company has worked with the Township of Berkeley Heights to further develop and refine its plans for an integrated mixed-use destination that provides work, residential, hospitality, retail, entertainment and recreation opportunities. The current zoning framework - segments the property into three zone districts.
In April 2020, the Township proposed creating an integrated Mixed-Use (MU) Zone that would comprise the majority of the existing Connell Corporate Center property (as illustrated in Figure 2). The summary below in the "April 2020" section describes the major elements of the MU Zone along with the important impact considerations reviewed by the Township in preparing the ordinance. The Multi-family housing units remain the same and the maximum allowable retail space increases from 85,000 square feet to 185,000 square feet, with an additional 60,000 sq feet of allowable entertainment space for a total of 250,000 sq feet of allowable retail and entertainment space.
It is important to note that Connell can still build much of their planned development within the current zoning. However, the following publicly-accessible recreational components would not be built if the zoning changes for Connell are not approved:
- Dog park and BBQ venue
- Athletic field/fitness area
- Greenway
View the latest Connell presentation here.
Total Number of Units -(Affordable Housing) | Types of Units | Amenities |
| 328 Rental Units (45 AH) |
| |
| Retail Space | 85,000 sq ft | Proposed MU Zone increases retail space to 250,000 sq feet (185,000 sq ft of retail and 60,000 sq ft entertainment) |
Other names
None
Status
Date | Updated Status |
| May 2021 |
|
| December 2020 |
|
| October/November 2020 |
|
| May 2020 | Brief summary chart of what’s allowed with current zoning, versus what would be allowed with proposed zoning. |
| April 2020 | Presentation to Mayor and Town Council including:
|
| July 2019 |
|