Montclair's township council has introduced a redevelopment plan for its Claremont Avenue municipal complex, a first formal step toward relocating the township's main offices out of a building officials say has bulging exterior walls, mold-covered air vents, a leaky roof and structurally unstable exterior canopies. The plan does not decide what will ultimately replace the current setup, but it sets the legal framework that could eventually force the relocation of the Salvation Army's Cornerstone House shelter next door.
The redevelopment plan, introduced by the council and covered in detail by Montclair Local, applies to four parcels anchored by the municipal complex. Reporter Corey McDonald notes the plan sets parameters for future redevelopment rather than locking in a final design, and would allow a mix of potential uses on the site, including an office building, residential development, an apartment building, public utilities and a public facility building. Any new building would be capped at three stories, matching zoning in the adjoining residential zone.
Township Manager Stephen Marks has said discussions about a new municipal complex, estimated at roughly $50 million, are tied to Public Service Electric & Gas Co.'s interest in replacing a nearby electrical substation, according to The Montclair Pod. That utility interest is one of several forces complicating the site's future, alongside the township's search for a permanent home for senior services after it cancelled a lease for a proposed senior center at the Mills Building last year over cost concerns.
A comparable Essex County government project reported by NJ.com in 2020 was a 150,000-square-foot building at the Hall of Records complex, estimated to cost $75 million.
A Building Well Past Its Useful Life
The current complex was never built to be a town hall. Montclair acquired the office building in 1980, four years after it went up in 1969 as a private facility for Sperry Rand, according to background compiled by the township. A 2022 study of the property documented the deterioration that has since become the justification for redevelopment, and officials say the existing complex remains safe for use even as they describe the building as well past its useful life.
Erik D'Amato, who chairs the township's facilities and infrastructure committee, said the redevelopment plan is one of many steps toward a future transaction and that township officials are reluctant to invest more money into the existing complex. D'Amato said the township remains undecided about where a new municipal complex will ultimately go, but he said he was hopeful the current township government could find a new location, according to Montclair Local's reporting. Committee members William Harrison and Aminah Toler also serve on that panel, which has been developing plans for the township's future municipal home.
Cornerstone House Shelter Faces Uncertain Future
The most consequential detail buried in the plan concerns the shelter next door. Cornerstone House is an emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Under the redevelopment plan, any future developer of the municipal complex property would be required to fund relocation of Cornerstone House to another property in Montclair.
According to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ NJCounts data hub, the state has conducted an annual count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness since 2014, with the count taking place during the last 10 days of January. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs reported that the 2021 Point in Time Count found 8,262 homeless people statewide, with 22% of those counted in Essex County.
Michele Kroeze of the Montclair Salvation Army Citadel, which operates Cornerstone House, said the organization was aware of the redevelopment plan, per Montclair Local's account. The council formally kicked off the review process back in June 2022, when it passed a resolution to investigate the parcels as an area in need of redevelopment.
Years of False Starts on a New Town Hall
This is not the township's first attempt to solve its municipal-office problem. The property next to the municipal building, the Mills Building, and the Lackawanna Plaza site have all been considered at various points as possible locations for a future municipal complex, but previous councils and administrations have failed to find a new location for the building. Lackawanna Plaza's redevelopment path has since moved in a different direction — the council committed to a 30-year tax-abatement deal for that project in March, according to The Montclair Pod.
Montclair held public meetings in January and February discussing plans for a future municipal complex, and township officials say they are negotiating with different parties, though the council has not publicly weighed in on specific options for a new site. A future complex could potentially house the township police station and a senior center, while part of the current Claremont Avenue property could become an electrical substation. Officials say the goal is to find a solution that fits all the pieces together and is easiest on taxpayers, though the plan will likely be amended further as anticipated uses become clearer.
Planning Board Weighs In Amid Fiscal Strain
The township's planning board discussed the redevelopment plan and has scheduled an August 31 meeting for further review. Board member Keith Brodock said the panel's goal is to evaluate whether the plan is consistent with the town's master plan. The township is also reviewing that plan.
The redevelopment push is also unfolding against a tightening municipal budget. Montclair eliminated six municipal staff positions this month, including the Deputy Township Manager, and cut Fire Department daily shift staffing back in March, according to Montclair Local's reporting. Given that fiscal backdrop, and the township's history of stalled attempts, officials caution that Montclair is unlikely to relocate the municipal building soon — leaving the Claremont Avenue complex, and Cornerstone House's future, unresolved for now.
