The first of these was the redevelopment of a 46-acre site on Route 1 that included 150,000 square feet of buildings being vacated by Johnson and Johnson. Vigna notes that over the past 15 years, this 240-year-old suburban township of approximately 43,000 people has had to deal with the loss of a number of industrial uses and major retail tenants. Diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and providing jobs, housing, and a high quality of life for all residents of every demographic group is of utmost importance.” According to Womack, “North Brunswick believes that the redevelopment of older industrial sites should not focus solely on ratable growth, but should also include sustainable environmental measures, efforts to manage traffic congestion, steps to promote mass transit, efforts to create new jobs for every segment of the population, and provision of housing opportunities for residents of all income levels. Unacceptable traffic congestion and the abandonment of older industrial sites by major corporations have put pressure on North Brunswick to facilitate redevelopment in a way that provides benefits to both residents and the region as a whole. We move forward with a ‘bottom-up’ approach starting at the municipal level, as opposed to a ‘top-down’ approach waiting for the state, county, or federal government to come up with solutions.” For the past 25 years, the township has shown a willingness to take innovative local action to combat traffic and environmental problems in a way that can be duplicated by other municipalities in order to achieve a regional benefit. Vigna states, “Unfortunately, there are not enough federal and state resources available to address regional traffic and environmental problems, so sitting back and waiting for a solution from a higher level of government is not considered an option in North Brunswick. Recently, Business View Magazine spoke with North Brunswick Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack III and Planning Director Tom Vigna about redevelopment and sustainability efforts in the township.
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