Fair Lawn Nabisco Site Sold: Mayor

FAIR LAWN, NJ — The Fair Lawn Nabisco site has been sold, Mayor Kurt Peluso announced during a Facebook Live Q&A this week.

Peluso took to the site on Thursday to discuss a number of issues, revealing the news about the Nabisco site in the process, though he was short on details.

"We're really excited, obviously it's a huge property and I think it says a lot about Fair Lawn," said Peluso. "The fact that you could have a huge property like that and not sit dormant, and just be sold so quickly, is really exciting."

Peluso said the move won't be immediate, as he said Nabisco "isn't moving too fast. So it is going to take some time [for] the new owners to move in."

The space will be used as a commercial property, Peluso said, adding that he's had initial conversations with the new owners of the property.

In an email to Patch on Friday, the mayor added:

"We’re really excited to be welcoming another new business to Fair Lawn. We have seen many businesses expand or a new entity take over during these last few years in our community . Fair Lawn’s economic strength has garnered a lot of attention and our community is in the best fiscal shape it has ever been in."

Mondelez officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Nabisco plant was historic not only for the jobs it provided to the area, but also the consistent smell of the cookies produced it the bakery.

Mondelez closed the Fair Lawn bakery in July, which eliminated some 600 jobs from Bergen County. The site had received multiple offers and inquiries since news of a forthcoming closure was announced in February.

The Fair Lawn facility opened in 1958 and, Mondelez said, faced operational challenges due to aging infrastructure and lagging production capabilities. Rather than spend the "significant" investment to update these facilities, the company believes resources are better spent elsewhere.

But that doesn't mean the facility isn't without merit for other businesses, and Mondelez, with the property valued at over $29 million.

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