Area 5 East Groundbreaking Expected Oct. 1, Officials Say

With only one hurdle left to clear—a closing, which Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich said he expects to happen within the next 10 days—the developer of the eastern half of the long-vacant, roughly 16-acre property now known as Redevelopment Area 5 should be ready to break ground on Oct. 1, borough officials said Thursday.

Groundbreaking on the western half may take a little longer, according to Sokolich.

“Fort Lee has never been closer to developing what’s been vacant and an eyesore for 45 years,” the mayor said at Thursday’s Mayor and Council regular meeting. “It’s the culmination of a lot of time and effort. There are arguments that it’s a great project; there are arguments that there could be a better project. But I think for Fort Lee, at the end of the day, the benefits of these projects are going to substantially outweigh the negatives.”

In March, the Fort Lee Planning Board Fort Lee Redevelopment Associates (FLRA)’s plan for the eight-acre East parcel—a project known as “The Center at Fort Lee.” includes two 47-story towers with 902 luxury residential units, a public park, a restaurant and a movie theater.

“I spoke with the developer as early as 15 minutes ago, and they are still very, very confident that shovels will be in the ground on the East parcel [starting Oct. 1],” Sokolich said Thursday evening.

In June, the Planning Board also Tucker Development Corporation’s mixed-use site plan for the West parcel—a project the developer was calling “Hudson Lights,” which includes more than 165,000 square feet of retail space, a 175-room hotel, about 477 residential units and parking for about 1,200 cars.

At the time, Sokolich said he had “guarded confidence that [Tucker’s project] will be constructed.”

Taken together, the two plans are estimated at a total of about a $1 billion investment in Redevelopment Area 5.

Sokolich said Thursday that the appeal periods for both projects have expired, something he described as “critical” for development to move forward.

“There was an appeal that was filed, and we’d like to think that that has been amicably resolved,” Sokolich said in reference to the Fair Share Housing Center, a group that advocates for affordable housing, having challenging FLRA’s plan on the last day of the 45-day appeal period.

Bergen County Superior Court Judge Menelaos W. Toskos late last month dismissed the suit accusing Fort Lee of skirting affordable housing requirements in approving the plan, Law360.com reported.

“As far as the West parcel, that’s still a work in progress,” Sokolich said without providing specifics. “There are still some things that that developer is finalizing. Of course Fort Lee works with them on a day-to-day basis, and we’ll keep you posted along the way.”

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