PERTH AMBOY, NJ-The City of Perth Amboy is seeking a redeveloper for a 100-acre site with rail access and 1,700 feet of deep-water frontage on the Arthur Kill, a major navigational channel for the Port of New York and New Jersey.
The city has issued a request for proposal, which is due March 10. The site has been designated an ePort Redevelopment Project Area with the goal of attracting businesses and redevelopers to the site. Although submissions will not be limited to the renewable energy sector, extra consideration will be applied to this type of use, as well as for projects that incorporate sustainability and green building concepts. The RFP calls for proposals to be submitted by April 28.
“We are very excited by the potential of this site,” says Helga van Eckert, director of the city’s office of economic and community development, redevelopment, UEZ and BID. “The location makes the site ideal for a host of uses, including as a renewable energy research, development and manufacturing hub.”
The shovel-ready region, which was formerly devoted to heavy industrial and commercial uses, has a state Department of Environmental Protection Remedial Action Workplan in place, and has received site plan approvals for certain uses from the city planning board. A component of the environmental remediation has been completed, and while further remediation is necessary, an escrow fund has been established to cover a portion of the costs associated with the cleanup.
The designation of the site as an energy port fits in well with New Jersey’s emerging position as one of the world’s largest solar markets, but the city is also interested in attracting businesses in the offshore wind and hydrokinetic sectors that can take advantage of the site’s deep-water frontage, van Eckert says.
Businesses that locate at the site are also entitled to economic development incentives, as it has been designated a New Jersey Portfield and is located in an Urban Enterprise Zone, a Redevelopment Area and a Brownfield Development Area--all designations that offer potential financial, planning and environmental remediation incentives, as well as expedited regulatory review and approval.
The UEZ designation, for instance, offers benefits including employee tax credits for new hires; sales and use tax exemptions on purchases related to construction materials, office supplies, equipment and furniture; a 50% reduction in the state sale tax (customers pay 3.5% instead of 7%); and unemployment insurance bill rebates.
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