Bernardsville NJ Planning Board Postpones Vote on Downtown Project

BERNARDSVILLE – The city’s Planning Board has postponed a vote on the controversial Palmer Square project until a special meeting on Aug. 15.

After more than two hours, planning commission members decided they needed more time to discuss the long list of conditions for approving the project.

These provisions include that the applicant must comply with Department of Transport regulations and that developers must provide police and fire reports on the impact of the project.

Planning Board Chairman Robert Graham and Member Jeff Horowitz also suggested the board might want to add more provisions, which would be better done with “rested minds.”

The board decided to postpone the vote after residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the proposal.

“How could someone who really cares about this town — its past, present and future — propose such a project,” said Rosalie Ballantine, a borough resident. “To me, this is a dark day in the history of Bernardsville.”

A major concern for residents was concerns about traffic.

“I think it’s a pipe dream that traffic won’t increase with this proposal,” said Kathleen Shepherd, a Bernardsville resident for more than 20 years. “I just don’t want Bernardsville to be sacrificed, and I think it will be.”

More: Redevelopment is coming to downtown Bernardsville. Here’s what we know

“I think it’s appalling that the city would take on a project like this without ever doing a traffic study before the project was approved,” said Barbara Long, a small business owner from Bernardsville. “And then give a tax break for something that’s supposed to help the city’s debt? I’m absolutely against this project.”

Considerations for the Palmer Square project began last August, when Advanced Realty Investors announced its plans to redevelop the property.

They proposed a four-story building with 10,000 square feet of retail space and 68 apartments on the one-hectare site.

More: ‘Breathe Life into the City’: Bernardsville’s Palmer Square Redevelopment Moves Closer

As part of the redevelopment agreement with the city, Advanced Realty Investors will contribute $1 million to the city’s affordable housing fund instead of developing affordable housing in the building itself.

Advance Realty Investors, based in Bedminster, has entered into a contract to purchase the property from Palmer Enterprises and then redevelop it based on their proposal.

Hearings on the proposal began in February, but testimony has already dragged on for nearly six months.

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Bernardsville NJ Planning Board Postpones Vote on Downtown Project

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