Phillipsburg Riverview Organization

Update December 2022 

LATEST CHRONOLOGY OF WAREHOUSE APPLICATION ON HOWARD STREET 

 

Councilman Piazza, Marino and Kennedy voted in favor of the cold storage facility, including a variance to exceed the height limit by 15 feet, to 65 feet tall.  The 15 extra feet would house the refrigeration units and ammonia and other cold storage equipment. Mayor Tersigni signed the ordinance. We don’t know how loud this equipment will be in the surrounding neighborhood, but a quick Google search reveals that chemical leaks, such as ammonia, can occur.

 

Councilman Kennedy explained that he voted “yes” because the owner  Perrucci could sue. In reality, though, the town has granted every request of the developer beginning in 2006 when the 32 acres were approved to be more than 400 units. A citizen law suit is not the basis for Perrucci to sue the town. Till this date, Mr Kennedy has not articulated a reason for his changed vote, except liking the railroad access aspect. 

 

And it must be understood by Councilman Kennedy that even if the railroad connection does not happen, the ordinance that he voted for has an escape clause! Even without the railroad infrastructure, the warehouse gets built. Kennedy voted for he warehouse with no guarantee that train access is likely, or even possible.

 

Employee turn over in cold storage facilities is high because of the hostile working environment, according to testimony given during the presentation by the cold storage  company to town council and reported in Lehigh Valley Live And because of the hostile environment in cold storage facilities, they lead the way in the trend towards automation, thereby eliminating the need for workers.

 

The developer has made promises about jobs and railroad usage but without information about the actual owner, and their products, it’s hard to pin down employment or whether railroad access is a viable and practical possibility 

 

Citizens were caught flat foot when Councilman Kennedy decided not to wait for the judge’s written opinion on the first citizen’s lawsuit. Remarkably, though, legal bills have been paid down. This enabled a filing of a law suit against this new zoning change based on identification of a new conflict of interest, of a voting council member 

 

HISTORY OF THE SITE 

Immediately adjacent, is the Delaware River Park, which was the route of the Morris Canal and eventually the town dump. Tippett and Wood was west of Howard Street. The area of Fayette and Howard Street - known as the Flats- was residential until the 1970s, when town council sought to access the Bel Del line and demolished the houses in the neighborhood, creating a new industrial zone. However, railroad access requires expensive infrastructure and some way to connect to the Conrail line that runs through Union Square. It never happened. 

 

The railroad historians eyed the 32 acres as a transportation museum but that was not funded

In 2006, Mr Perrucci came along and paid nearly $4 million for the 32 acres.  

 

Since the property has limited access, and exits only to S Main Street, each residential approval, since 2006, required a Howard Street extension, to bring traffic south to Center Street. Mr Perrucci called the residential development Riverview, yet, with industrial zoning, he claims that it shouldn’t be thought of as near the Delaware river. 

 

Instead of extending Howard Street, this warehouse approval calls for the demolition of the structure at McKeen and South Main Street to allow for the wide turns of tractor trailers and for all the trucks to proceed south on S Main Street. It is the limited access -only onto S Main Street - that has caused observers to conclude that the developer over paid for the parcel and that he is now attempting to have the town bail him out 

 

If you want to make a donation online, you can do so at:  https://njhighlandscoalition.org/individual-membership-join-renew-donate/.  Again, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO NOTE THAT THIS IS FOR PEW Phillipsburg Environmental Watch.  The only downside of this approach is that there is a fee involved, which reduces the value of your donation.  Checks through the mail to NJHC, 508 Main Street, Boonton, NJ 07005 are preferable.

 

Sign the petition 

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-warehouse-in-downtown-phillipsburg-nj-along-the-delaware-river

For further information write to : proriverview@gmail.com