Helmetta Has a Great Big Beautiful Tomarrow!

Kaplan Companies is planning to break ground next year on "Heritage at Helmetta," to be built on a 32-acre site in the center of town. The redevelopment project is proposed to include 225 age-restricted townhouses and condominiums, 10 affordable housing units, 10,000-square-feet of retail space and a civic center open to all borough residents.

The redevelopment area comprises five parcels of property on Main Street where borough founder George W. Helme built his snuff and tobacco empire in the 1880s. The buildings have been closed since 1993 and have fallen into disrepair.

Kaplan Companies has finalized the sale of the property and is now the owner of the snuff mill and other portions of the redevelopment district. And, in preparing for this redevelopment project, the company is laying the groundwork to secure all construction approvals.

To that end, company officials have been meeting regularly with Helmetta officials and the state Department of Environmental Protection since last fall to discuss redeveloping the property to fit the state's smart growth model. Kaplan Companies has also been meeting with project architects, land use experts and other development professionals to address the challenges of this very difficult project.

The company has developed a project that fits the borough's redevelopment plan. But there is a potential opportunity to convert portions of the old snuff mill into housing. That has required intense study by structural engineers and other historical restoration experts, who need to ensure the aging bricks and mortar can co-exist within a modern-day redevelopment project.

Since Kaplan Companies became the owner of the snuff mill in April, workers have thoroughly cleaned up the property, picking up the heaps of debris that were discarded over the 13 years of inactivity. To safeguard the area and protect residents, the company has lined the property with protective fencing.

Borough officials have been very clear that this project can not be a drain on local taxpayers. The age-restricted units will be reserved for people ages 55 and over -- a demographic group that traditionally does not have school-aged children. Through this project, it is expected that no additional children will be enrolled in the local school system, thus not negatively affecting the property tax rate.

There are a number of benefits to Helmetta residents through this redevelopment project, including:

~ An estimated $1 million in property tax revenue annually for the borough.




~ A Helmetta Community Center, built at no charge to borough taxpayers. Public athletic facilities will also be constructed at no charge.




~ A new streetscape surrounding the property, with attractive landscaping and lighting.




~ A complete overhaul of a dilapidated parcel of property, which has been neglected over the past 13 years and has attracted vandalism and crime. When complete, Heritage at Helmetta will be a source of local pride.




~ Such immense local investment will be a catalyst for other redevelopment in Helmetta, from business owners investing in new facades to older, worn-on buildings replaced with attractive, modern construction.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Helmetta
• Helme
• Snuff
• Tabbacco
• Mill
• Railroad
• Mills
• Redevelopement
• Construction
• status
• borough
• Kaplan
• Companies
• Great
• Big

[Touchofred239]

You fucking disgust me...

Lets move in MORE old people, MORE traffic.

And hey, you know.. YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE VANDALISM TO THE SNUFF MILL if you all didn't NEGLECT it in the first place. That building would be here longer than anyone alive right now. Never again will that be done. EVER.. You brought it to yourselves. Now something as great as that building has to suffer and never be seen again.

[HelmettaWorld]

It's a dam shame, you know jamesburg kept their history, why cant we keep ours?

[Benwade90]

hahaha does anybody here know how to spell?

[0bsidianProductions]

As the only one to have fottage of the INSIDE' I can tell you its an amazing sight to see. Furthermore its an absolute disgrace to see what there doing to it. they already knocked down the Etta Helm house right near by and put in an adult community. Thats not enough? why do we need more old people in our town. All destroying that house did was lose a piece of history and then one of those old farts rear ended me......thanks.

[mos7wan7ed]

sad.. baby boomers tearing down their history and their fathers history to build a place for them to retire too.

[marozi87]

good job