Council advances Hoffmann La Roche campus Phase 4 plan to first reading after heated debate

The council voted on the first reading of an ordinance to adopt Phase 4 of the HLR (Hoffman La Roche) redevelopment plan on June 17 after a lengthy debate over process and whether the redevelopment attorney and developer responses had been supplied to the planning board and to council before the meeting.

What happened: Several council members argued the redevelopment attorney had been asked to return to answer questions and the council should not advance first reading without required responses. Others said the documents provided to council substantially matched the materials and that delaying the ordinance would stall a major development project. After debate the council approved introduction on first reading (vote recorded as 4 yes, 3 no) and directed the redevelopment attorney to appear at the next meeting with the requested materials.

Why it matters: The Phase 4 redevelopment plan covers a large site and is central to a multi-year redevelopment effort. Council members emphasized the need for transparency and asked the redevelopment attorney to present responses and to appear in person at the next meeting so council and the public can review modifications before second reading.

What developers said in public comment: An owner representative said Nutley Borough took steps that reduced pressure from a warehouse application on a nearby development parcel; he asked the council to continue cooperative negotiations and said collaborative work had already addressed several planning-board concerns.

Next steps: Council set expectations that the redevelopment attorney will attend the next meeting and that any revised documents be supplied in advance. The ordinance will return for public hearing and second reading after the planning-board comments and developer responses are presented.