New N.J. authority to oversee redevelopment of Fort Monmouth space

The project is expected to generate 4,900 jobs

Noah K. Murray/The Star-LedgerPhoto of the entrance to Fort Monmouth on Rt. 35 North.

EATONTOWN — Gov. Chris Christie Tuesday signed legislation creating an authority to oversee the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth, jumpstarting a plan to find a new use for one of the largest soon-to-be vacant parcels in the state.

When Fort Monmouth closes in September 2011, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority will be responsible for filling its 1,127 acres with housing, retail, office space and other uses that will bring jobs to the state, sponsors of the bill said.

"This is a massive, massive project. We’ve given you folks the tools to get it done," Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, chairman of the Economic Growth Committee and one of the prime sponsors of the bill, told the crowd gathered at the 93-year-old military base.

The main mission of the authority is to implement a plan developed by a a previous authority for the reuse of the communications center located in Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls when the closure shutters 434 buildings and 663 housing units and relocates more than 5,000 jobs.

That plan was submitted to the U.S. Department of Defense in 2008 but the federal government and the state are still haggling over ownership of the property. The Department of Defense wants the state to pay for the land but the state contends infrastructure improvements, environmental issues and the loss of jobs affect the asking price, said Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, another sponsor of the bill.

Sponsors of the legislation, who gathered with Christie at Fort Monmouth for the bill-signing ceremony, estimate the new development, which would span at least two decades, would generate 4,900 full-time jobs, offer more than 2 million square feet of office space and pump $24.7 million in state wage taxes. The plan also calls for building at least 2,200 housing units for low-to-moderate income families as well as market rate homes.

The nine-member authority would be composed of the mayors of the three host communities, a member of the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, a Monmouth County resident appointed by the governor, two other gubernatorial appointees, a member of the governor’s staff and the chairman of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

A supermajority of the authority — seven of its nine members — will be needed to change aspects of the plan, approve its budget and accept projects conducted by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Beck said. But the three host municipalities will have final say over density issues, she said.

Christie said he doesn’t have a plan for what type of business should be there, instead leaving it up to the communities to decide.

"I want the locals to have a great say in what this is going to look like at the end because they’re going to be living around it, traveling in and through it, having whatever happens here affect the quality of the lives of the people in principally those three municipalities but also across Monmouth County,’’ Christie said.

He called the decision to close the base "a mistake by the federal government to close this place" but said it is now "an opportunity to bring new economic growth and development to this region and to our state."

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian Burry said county and local officials are looking to attract high-tech facilities, such as communications. The county has already expressed interest in taking over the base’s community center, library and bowling alley and has been guaranteed 350 acres for open space, she said.

The legislation gives the Economic Development Authority the ability to secure financing for the development projects and allows the agency to act as a designated redeveloper.

Fort Monmouth was targeted for closure as part of the Department of Defense’s 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Its communications research operations are being relocated to Aberdeen, Md. All the military operations are expected to be gone by early summer of next year.

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