Metuchen’s Forum Theatre Project Includes Building Residential Units

METUCHEN, NJ — During Monday's Council meeting, longtime Borough Planner Jim Constantine and DEVCO CEO Chris Paladino shared updates with the community on the Forum Theatre project.

The theater's current state includes structural issues and inaccessibility.

The plan involves reconstructing the theater as a "black box" for flexibility, costing $30 million, with $22 million from tax credits and $3 million from the Borough.

The project includes acquiring a former gas station and developing a mixed-use residential and parking facility on Halsey Street, called The Residences at the Forum.

The goal is to create a thriving arts district with various performance and community spaces, supported by a sustainable funding model.

The theater was built in 1928 as a simple theater, and today is in a significant state of disrepair, with visible cracking through the exterior walls and foundation.

“There are various unsafe conditions related to the foundation, the slab, the floor system, outdated facilities that are not accessible does not fit today's needs,” Constantine said.

Currently the theatre is about 8,600 square feet, and the proposed reimagined theater will be about 21,000 square feet. The project cost is around $30 million, with Metuchen already having $25 million. The borough is now seeking $5 million more.

To fund the project and ensure taxpayers are not burdened, the developer said they needed to identify a resource that provides an operating funds for the project long term.

After considering various options, the developers decided on a mixed-use project that would have varying types of residential units and parking garage, that would give the borough the financial opportunity to accomplish its goals.

“So we're confident that we could develop a residential community that reflects Metuchen’s priorities,” Paladino said.

The residential project will include not just rental units, but the potential for for-sale units, and some type of streetscape around the building.

The development project on Halsey Street will also include a 20 percent set-aside for affordable housing, with preferences for special needs residents and veterans.

The portion reserved for veterans will ideally be located adjacent to the American Legion Hall.

“And there will also be an effort to attract artists as well. We want to really foster creativity throughout the arts district, and so this idea of having this play, work, live hub for local artists and residents will be something that we'll try to do to diversify the local economy, the downtown and the entire community,” Constantine said.

The project will take place in two phases.

Phase 1 will include:

• Reconstructing the Forum Theatre into a flexible state-of-the-art performance space that will allow visitors of all abilities the opportunity to enjoy the venue.
• Acquiring the former gas station site next to the Forum for additional arts-related uses.
• Securing the remaining funding needed to build the Forum while creating a sustainable revenue source for its long-term success by permitting the development of The Residences at the Forum, which will include a Borough-owned parking garage on the Halsey Street lot. These residential units will include a 20% set-aside for affordable housing, helping our community prioritize supportive housing for adults with disabilities and providing veterans' preference.

Phase 2:

• Transforming the gas station property into The Spot! - a vibrant downtown entrance honoring the site’s historic roots.
• The Spot! designed to resemble the old service station that stood on this property for generations, will feature unique food and beverage venues, studio/gallery spaces, and makerspaces that connect to our downtown.

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