Summit Mayor's Letter To The Editor Addresses Questions On Broad Street West Redevelopment

The following was submitted to Summit Patch as a letter to the editor by Summit Mayor Nora G. Radest. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, email samantha.mercado@patch.com or post your own article or blurb on the Summit Patch Neighbor Post.

While Broad Street West redevelopment has been in progress with bi-partisan support since 2014, questions about the project have justifiably been raised during the recent 2021 election campaigns. I am encouraged that the community is continuing to engage in this ongoing process; it is a project that I believe will add considerable value and much-needed tax relief for all property owners.

Background on the Project

The underdeveloped section designated as Broad Street West was identified in Summit’s 2010 Master Plan as an area that offered significant opportunity for development adding businesses and residential units, affordable housing, and green spaces.
The first phase of the project is solely focusing on Subdistrict 3. This is the area around the current fire headquarters. I believe that this project will transform paved surfaces, a couple of city-owned buildings requiring renovation and parking lot spaces into a beautiful, energy-efficient, mixed-use building with 10,000 square feet of retail space and a combination of about 140 market-rate and affordable housing rental units. The property sale also financially offsets construction of the new fire headquarters.

Next Steps

Once design planning by redevelopers and the committee is complete, this information will be shared in a public meeting and members of the community will have an opportunity to comment at the meeting and online. After terms are negotiated with redevelopers, an agreement will be presented to and voted on by Common Council.

I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this process so far either by attending one of the three public community workshops, small group discussions or by emailing, texting or participating in a survey over the past seven years. Your participation is essential in ensuring the needs of our community are met.

And to be clear, a city committee comprised of members of Common Council, the Planning Board, City Administrator Rogers, a redevelopment planner and financial analyst, attorneys and I are initiating this process to ensure that members of our community have input on the future of this area. This process is driven by the state redevelopment law and the city’s redevelopment plan. If the city sold the land directly to a developer, then the developer would decide what to build and where. Members of the Environmental Commission, Historic Preservation Committee, Summit Housing Authority, YMCA, Summit Free Public Library Board, Summit Downtown, Inc., and other local business owners have also provided input.

I encourage you to stay involved and to review the documents available on the city website at https://www.cityofsummit.org/6... and I hope to see you at a future community meeting. In the meantime, you can reach me at nradest@cityofsummit.org with any comments or concerns.