Millburn Township has posted a proposed ordinance that would authorize condemnation of the properties at 333-335 Millburn Avenue, with a public hearing on the measure scheduled for November 10. The listing, found on the township's own proposed-ordinances page, identifies the measure as Ordinance 2782-26.
According to the Township of Millburn's proposed-ordinance page, the measure is titled “Ordinance 2782-26 Authorizing Condemnation of Property 333-335 Millburn Ave,” and the public hearing is set for that same date in November. The page does not spell out the township's intended use for the properties once condemnation proceedings are authorized.
Township assessment records offer a clearer picture of who currently holds the parcels on paper. The 2024 SID Assessment Roll lists Block 702, Lot 8 at 335 Millburn Avenue, with the owner identified as 335 Millburn Avenue LLC. The same roll lists 333 Millburn Avenue separately, under Block 702, Lot 9, though those 2024 roll entries do not necessarily reflect current ownership of either parcel.
What TAPinto Reported About the Proposal
Local outlet TAPinto Millburn/Short Hills reported that the Millburn Township Committee introduced an ordinance authorizing acquisition of the two properties for public purposes, and that the committee had identified flood mitigation, open space, and downtown safety as purposes behind the move. TAPinto also reported that the township would provide just compensation as part of any acquisition.
TAPinto further reported comments attributed to Michael Cohen, who reportedly said demolition of one of the buildings could leave the second structure unsound, and that the township does not currently intend to purchase that second building. Those specifics come from TAPinto's reporting; the township's own proposed-ordinance listing does not independently spell out the acquisition's purposes, compensation terms, or the remarks attributed to Cohen.
Flooding Has Been a Recurring Concern Downtown
Flood control has been a live issue in Millburn for several years, which may help explain why it surfaces in connection with a downtown property acquisition. The township's Flood Mitigation Advisory Committee was established in January 2022 to address flooding issues and develop mitigation strategies, according to a township flood-mitigation update.
That same update said the committee completed two drainage projects near the East Branch of the Rahway River in 2023, work the township said significantly reduced ponding and helped water recede faster after flood events. The update also described $1 million in federal funding, expected through Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill's office, earmarked for a capacity upgrade to the Gilbert Place pump, along with a proposed detention zone along Van Winkle Brook between the Hartshorn Arboretum and Chatham Road meant to ease flooding in the Glenwood and Washington School areas.
A more recent flood-mitigation presentation, dated December 8, 2025, said the advisory committee had completed more than seven projects totaling roughly $5 million in capital improvements, and described the township's broader approach as combining flood avoidance, storage, absorption, conveyance, and floodplain buffers. That same presentation said a proposed Orange Reservoir bypass could reduce downtown Millburn's annual probability of flooding from about 20 percent down to roughly 10 to 15 percent, but noted that state approval from New Jersey remained the outstanding step before the bypass design could be completed and the project put out to bid.
What Comes Next
The public hearing on Ordinance 2782-26 is set for November 10, giving residents and affected property owners a chance to weigh in before the Township Committee acts on the condemnation authorization. Whether the township ultimately moves to acquire both buildings, or only one, remains an open question raised in TAPinto's reporting on Cohen's remarks about the second structure.
