Sayreville OKs redevelopment plan for longtime nightclub, events space
SAYREVILLE – The Borough Council approved an ordinance that establishes a redevelopment plan for Club Pure on Route 35, which is targeted for a self-storage facility.
The plan calls for Morgan Rescue Squad, which abuts the site at the north end, to continue to use and access overflow parking that has historically been available to its members.
At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said parking and access to the site by the Morgan First Aid Squad is "a sticking point" for her.
"It always makes me happy when two groups can come together and work out their differences for the town," the mayor said after the meeting.
The 138,000-square-foot parcel, located along the east side of Route 35, is developed with a single-story masonry building that housed Club Pure and several other structures at the north end of the property near the end of Olsen Street. The surrounding area is characterized by a mix of commercial uses along Route 35 and residential neighborhoods set just off the highway.
During the public portion of Monday’s meeting, Don Riley, president of Morgan First Aid Squad, said he was among five people – two associated with the Club Pure property and three members of the squad – who discussed the plan prior to the meeting.
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He said there were no objections to the facility being built and the use being changed because "it will benefit the borough of Sayreville tax dollar-wise."
Riley said there were some concerns regarding parking issues at the site, and said he discovered that a portion of the first aid squad building was built on Club Pure property.
"How the Borough of Sayreville did that in 1979, I don't know," he said.
Riley said the group came up with a couple different options to address the parking concerns. He said another meeting was set for Sept. 14 and asked the Borough Council to allow them to hold the meeting and come up with a final proposal for the parking issue. He asked the council to move forward on the ordinance with a stipulation that the group come back with a plan.
Borough Attorney Michael DuPont said he "can't place a stipulation in here because the ordinance doesn't reflect that."
A discussion ensued as to whether the ordinance should be tabled until the issues were resolved. It was ultimately decided to move forward with a vote.
Thomas Muller with Dynamic Engineering Consultants, the developer's engineer, said he has been working with the borough professionals, as well as Riley and his team, along with the developer, on the redevelopment plan. He said this component of the plan is more of a site plan issue, which would be reviewed by the borough Planning Board in the future.
He said he would work with Riley and his team and Jay Cornell with CME Associates,the Planning Board and Borough Council's engineer, to make sure that component of the site plan is designed appropriately and all the conditions that go along with it would be part of the planning board approval.
John Barree, a professional planner with Heyer, Gruel & Associates, the borough planner, who prepared the redevelopment plan, agreed.
From a planning perspective, the plan covers the issue and it's just a matter of working out the details, he said.
Barree, said there is "not a site plan or concept plan attached to the redevelopment plan, so all of these things are subject to some massaging, rearranging as they go on, but they have to fit within the confines of what the plan requires."
He said he would feel comfortable moving it forward.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.