Plans For 1,360-Unit Housing Project At Toys 'R' Us Site To Be Unveiled In Wayne

WAYNE, NJ — Township Council will hold a special meeting to discuss rezoning the former Toys "R" Us headquarters in Wayne for new apartments, after several years of negotiations with the property owners.

This site is one of seven locations in Wayne where new residential projects are either planned or in progress, as the township is required to provide a certain amount of affordable housing units under state law. And it has the lion's share of the more than 2,900 housing units being built around the township.

Up to 1,360 residential units could be built on the mostly-vacant Toys "R" Us site, which sits at 1 Geoffrey Way. Of these, 272 units must be set aside for affordable housing, under a 2021 settlement agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center.

New Jersey's current framework for municipal affordable housing, the Mount Laurel Doctrine, was established after a court ruling nearly 50 years ago, mandating a “fair share” of housing for families based on income and prohibiting towns from enacting zoning laws that prevent the development of affordable housing.

The seven projects referenced above are part of Wayne's obligation to provide enough affordable housing.

The township has also been negotiating the specifics of the development with Point View Wayne Properties, who bought the former Toys "R" Us headquarters more than five years ago.

Council will discuss plans for re-zoning the site during a special session scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m., in the council meeting room at Town Hall.

The site, which was the Toys "R" Us headquarters for 16 years, overlooks the Point View Reservoir. Point View Wayne bought the 191-acre campus in March 2019 for $19 million, much less than its $94 million market value.