In what appears to be a move to buy time before making a decision on the Meadowlands Mall project, the public hearings scheduled for this Tuesday on the massive project have been postponed. The hearings were part of an approval process for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) – critical to whether or not the mall slated for nearby Carlstadt will get built. No date has yet been set for the hearings, although NJMC officials claim the hearings will be held in the near future.
The mall’s proponents say it will bring jobs to nearby Hudson County residents and pay taxes. Opponents say it might harm the wetlands and suck business away from Hudson County’s downtowns.
The Mills Corporation was expected have a tough time selling itself at these hearings even though the project was expected to get approval from Gov. Jim McGreevey.
Although officials claim they have already received over 9,000 letters with 85 percent of them expressing a negative view concerning the mall, sources in the governor’s office say the mall may get the governor’s support if it is relocated from the site on which it is now proposed. These officials claim the project hinges on the moving of a proposed athletic arena from the Sports Complex in East Rutherford to the city of Newark.
The Meadowlands Mall, slated for a piece of land called “The Empire Tract” in Carlstadt, is a 2.1 million square foot shopping and entertainment complex designed to draw in customers within 200 miles, and serve as a tourist destination. The project would also have 2.2 million square feet of office space and a 1,000-room hotel.
The Empire Tract in Carlstadt is a 587-acre site that lies near the center of the Meadowlands and functions as a corridor between the northern and southern portions of the Meadowlands wetland complex, and includes numerous wildlife habitats. Hackensack Riverkeeper Bill Sheehan – who is opposed to the project – said the habitats will be negatively affected if the project moves ahead.
Mills constructs malls with themed entertainment, such a mall in Florida centered on the everglades and others around the country with historic themes. Mills is proposing a wetlands-related theme for its Meadowlands Mall. Shopping would include a variety of outlets and retail stores similar to those already available in Secaucus such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and The Sports Authority, as well as a variety of stores typical of other area malls such as Marshals, the Burlington Coat Factory and Daffy’s. The mall would also feature stores like Payless Shoes and Dress Barn, food services and entertainment.
Pros and cons
The mall’s construction has impact in several significant areas. Proponents of the mall claim it will provide thousands of temporary jobs during construction and additional more permanent jobs when the mall is open for business. Opponents claim it will siphon retail business from existing malls, outlets and more traditional downtown districts – especially in northern Hudson County. The project is expected to create 7,000 temporary construction jobs and 12,000 permanent jobs.
Although a townhouse element that would have tripled the population of Carlstadt was dropped in the late 1990s, the mall would have a significant impact on patterns of life in and around the area, especially with increased traffic. Mills has been pushing for approvals for the project since 1996, but has been delayed by environmental groups and governmental regulations.
Mills initially sought to fill in over 200 acres of wetlands to construct the project – the largest private landfill project in the Meadowlands since the passing of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972. Mills has since redesigned the project, stacking the stores in a multi-level mall rather than the single floor design. In fact, Mills has released five different plans, the smallest of which would still involve the filling of 132 wetland acres.
“Some of the plans are hasty, some will have a huge impact,” said Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, who said he would withhold an opinion on the project until specific details are presented.
“Some aspects of the plan could have a positive effect on Secaucus,” he added, such as the fly ramp off of Route 3 to Meadowlands Parkway – a project the town has been seeking to move ahead with for years. Elwell also said the project would include a rail connection between the Sport Complex and the Secaucus Transfer Station, helping to reduce traffic on local streets.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended all five proposals be rejected, and even if the Army Corps of Engineers were to give the project the green light to fill wetlands, the EPA could still veto the action.
Earlier in January, Mills withdrew its application for state Department of Environmental Protection approval, and said it would move ahead with the project – despite needing permits from the state and federal governments. Michael Luchliw, an attorney for Mills, said the state application would be resubmitted later. This could delay approval by eight to nine months, according to the state. But state officials claim the withdrawal will allow time for McGreevey to move the arena and arrange for the Mills Mall to relocate in the Sports Complex, voiding many of the environmental issues.
Meanwhile, Mills is still seeking approval from the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, and will face a public hearing this Tuesday, Jan. 29 to that end.
Areas of conflict
Environmental activists are outraged by the mall’s filling of any acreage, saying they want the remaining wetlands to be saved as open space.
Mills, however, has argued that the Empire Tract was purchased in the 1940s with the intention of developing the property. The issue has become one of the central land use deputes in the nation – a dispute as to whether or not the government has the right to limit private investment after purchases.
Area business owners are concerned about the mall because they claim it will drain off customers who now use outlets in Secaucus or stores in business districts such as those found in West New York.
Mills, however, argues that the mall will bring in more people to the area, generating new business for everyone, especially to downtown areas that have the types of business the Mills Mall will not provide.
Elwell said he has met with outlet owners and other area business people over the impact of the project, and said it is a major concern.
“In Secaucus, the outlets and malls are a big part of our economy, and what affects them [is what] we have to look at closely,” he said.
Good for taxes
One significant attraction for Secaucus is the tax advantage the Mall would provide. Under provisions set by the NJMC, towns that have been allowed to develop over the years must share their tax benefits with other communities in the Meadowlands district which have been prohibited from developing. For instance, Kearny – with a large amount of dumps and severe development restrictions – has received money from the tax pool yearly while Secaucus, which has seen significant development over the last three decades, is the highest payer into the tax pool.
“Last year, we paid about $2.5 million,” Elwell said. “If Mills gets built, we could actually receive a million per year.”
Residents of neighboring towns fear a loss of quality of life if the mall comes in, citing traffic as among the most serious problems. The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has come out against the project largely because of the traffic problems, saying plans offered by Mills won’t adequately address the problem.
Mills has argued that new thoroughfares can be created where necessary and interchanges added to existing highway to such as the New Jersey Turnpike to help reduce the traffic impact. Its engineers have also suggested that existing intersections could be improved and that the improvements it intends to make would not only help ease the increased traffic, but improve congestion that currently exists.
On record against the Mills Mall are several public officials, including senators Robert Torricelli and Jon Corzine, Congressman Steve Rothman, local state senators and assemblymen and numerous local mayors.
But when then acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco declared his opposition, the Mills Mall seemed to come to a halt.
However, the newly elected Democratic Administration may not feel as strongly about opposing the mall, and hints from Gov. Jim McGreevey’s office suggest he would like to find a compromise.
Elwell said the Mills Mall project would not move ahead until the arena issue is settled.
“Until they figure out where the Nets and Devils are going, no one will decide on the Mills Mall,” Elwell said.
McGreevey, in a statement issued in Newark during the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, promised officials there they would get the arena.