Cigna Property - Developer to Present Concept Plan to Public

For background on the 89 acre parcel owned by Cigna Corporation which is under contract for sale to the developer, The S. Hekemian Group, click here for the recent Buzz article. The article provides an overview of the property and the implications of affordable housing law on the development of the property, and it provides important context for discussion of development of the site.

The developer will be making a presentation of a concept plan for the development of the site to the Mayor and Council and Planning Board at a public hearing. It is anticipated that the meeting will be held in mid to late January, after the new Mayor and Council’s Reorganization Meeting to be held on January 3, 2023, at 6:00 pm (in the Council Chambers at Borough Hall), when it is anticipated that Mayor-Elect Charles Kahwaty and three new Councilpersons will be sworn in.

The developer has proposed a mixed use concept plan which includes 585 multi-family residential units. Please note that the property that is under contract for sale to the developer does not include the Borough’s 100-acre Parsons Pond Park, which was donated to the Borough by Express Scripts, the prior owner of the property. Parsons Pond Park is not and will not be part of any development plan. The developer will present the concept plan at the public hearing and the public will be given a sufficient opportunity to ask questions and provide their input to the developer and the members of the Mayor and Council and Planning Board. 

The Mayor and Council, its professionals and experts have been working with the developer for an extended period of time to develop a concept plan for presentation to the public. Earlier this week, the Mayor, as authorized by the Mayor and Council, signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with the developer which provides that the developer will present its proposed plan to the public at a public hearing. Prior to entering into a binding agreement with the developer, the Mayor and Council will consider all input and comments from the public, the Planning Board, and the experts it has retained. 

Notice of the public hearing will be circulated at least one week prior to the public hearing date.