BY CHRISTINE GRIMALDI
Staff Writer

MILLTOWN - Money doesn't grow on trees, but it can be found within Green Acres.

Some borough residents want to apply to the state Department of Environmental program, which allocates funds for the Green Acres program, to purchase additional acreage at the former Michelin Tire Co. site on Ford Avenue.

The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders has already appropriated $860,000 to purchase four of the site's 22 acres for open space. The acreage will provide a 100-foot setback from the Mill Pond to the proposed redevelopment area.

The pond is a source of local drinking water.

An additional 3 acres of open space will be set aside by the site's redeveloper, Omar Boraie of Boraie Development Ltd., New Brunswick.

Charlie Jegou, a founding member of the grassroots Milltowners for a Sensible Ford Avenue Redevelopment, said the borough could secure a 50 percent matching grant on the county-appropriated money through Green Acres. That could be used to preserve about another 2 acres for open space, he said, with no cost to taxpayers.

Jegou said he went to Green Acres for the first time at least six months ago. A representative there told him that funding is available, if not for this year then for next.

"She said if you don't apply for it, you're never going to get it," Jegou said.

Jegou requested in a May 22 letter that the county freeholders apply for the grant. He followed up with a June 20 letter to Mayor Gloria Bradford and the Borough Council, asking them to send a letter to the freeholders supporting the request that the county officials apply for the grant.

No action has yet been taken by the mayor and council. At the council's July meeting, Councilman Eric Steeber asked that the matter be listed on the next meeting agenda. He reported that Borough Council President Kevin Bosworth, who was not present, was to contact the Ford Avenue Redevelopment Agency in regard to the matter. In an interview, Bosworth said he did not recall this commitment but would do so before the next council meeting.

Bosworth said he would probably speak with Anthony Zarillo, chairman of the Ford Avenue Redevelopment Agency, to assess what impact the additional open space acreage would have on the redevelopment.

"I'd like to see as much open space as possible, but the project also has to be a viable one for the developer," he said.

Bosworth said he would presume the total number of units would decrease as more acreage is taken away due to density requirements and space limitations.

Zarillo told the Sentinel Aug. 4 that he was unaware of the issue. He deferred to the council on the matter, saying it's an issue involving the borough governing body.

Zarillo did note that the redevelopment agency has a legal developer's agreement with Boraie, who is to redevelop the site for age-restricted housing and retail. Zarillo said he would take no action that would risk placing the agency and the borough in litigation with the developer.

Boraie, who lives in Milltown, said in an interview yesterday that the additional acreage "absolutely would destroy the site."

His original redevelopment plan called for some 400 housing units, he said, which was considerably less than other development proposals. The borough has since twice reduced the number of units.

"Anything over that, is not going to make it work," Boraie said.

Besides the 3 acres that he will preserve for open space, Boraie noted that land will be left open within development. Every house built will have front and back property, he said, and there is free space on the land where a clubhouse will sit. The chunks will total another 3.5 to 4 acres of free space, he said.

Addressing the idea of gaining the additional 2 acres for open space, Zarillo called into question the motives of those pressing for it. He said they had originally met the legal buffer requirement in the first place, but that was later doubled in size.

"The county steps in and increases that buffer from 50 to 100 [feet]. That's what [the Milltowners group] wanted originally. Now they want 150? These people don't know what they want; what they want to do is kill the project, and if we gave them 150, they'd want 200. If we gave them 200 they'd want 300," Zarillo said.

The Ford Avenue redevelopment plan currently adheres to what is known as "The Crabiel Plan," put forth by Freeholder Director and Milltown resident David B. Crabiel. It reduced the number of housing units to be built from 324 to 276. It also designates the original 4 acres of open space, providing for the 100-foot setback from Mill Pond.

The Milltowners group last year presented its own site plan, which would divide the property equally between open space and commercial space. This would include two-story office buildings for medical, professional, technology and research affiliates, as well as for restaurants and retail shops.

Jegou said the Milltowners have been trying to secure a 300-foot setback, but have had problems obtaining the necessary classification to do so.

"But we're trying to get as much land between the Mill Pond and whoever builds there, to give us a buffer so they don't contaminate our drinking water," Jegou said.