Nutley Board Hires Architect, Accepts Grant for Planner at Roche Site

Nutley officials have selected an architect to envison the future of the huge Nutley/Clifton campus soon to be vacated by Roche pharmaceuticals.

The Nutley Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night approved master plan architect EE&K, a Perkins Eastman Co., to assist Nutley in the redevelopment of the Roche property.

Roche officials told the Nutley commission last June that the campus will close by the end of 2013 and the 127-acre site will be vacated by 2015.

Roche, the town's biggest employer, was known for its groundbreaking research. It is leaving the iconic 127-acre campus straddling Nutley and Clifton on Route 3. The company paid about $9 million in property tax to Nutley last year.

"We have resolutions for a shared service grant agreement to pay for a professional planner with Clifton and to hire the architect," Mayor Alphonse Petracco said. "This is an important step in the process."

Roche released a statement Wednesday saying there will be a nine-week creative phase that includes redevelopment options while the preferred township's Master Plan is refined, and a full process to take about five months.

The commissioners also approved a resolution to accept half of a $300,000 grant provided by Roche, "to retain the services of a professional planner to assist in the redevelopment of the Roche property," and assist Nutley and Clifton "in establishing a vision plan for the phased redevelopment."

Officials said this allows Nutley and Clifton to plan for Roche's re-purposing without incurring any costs to taxpayers.

The other half of the grant goes to Clifton, according to the resolution.

Nutley officials chose EE&K "based upon their extraordinary qualifications and expertise in integrated master planning and economic/market analyses," the resolution states.

Commissioners all voiced support for the choice Tuesday night.

The joint re-purposing committee formed by the commissioners conducted extensive research and interviews to select a professional planner, officials said.

The professional planner will provide options for the Roche site's conceptual development and assess each proposed concept's impact, according to officials.

The planner is also being asked to demonstrate what the market need is for each concept, officials said.

According to the company's website, EE&K "is internationally recognized for integrating the design of buildings and open space, and transforming “projects” into genuine places. EE&K brings creative thinking and big picture perspective to design problems of all scales."

In mid-January, commissioners passed a resolution to support a state bill called "Corporate Disinvestment Property Tax Relief," and state Assemblymen Ralph Caputo and Ronald Rice are pushing the change that would benefit all township taxpayers, Commissioner Thomas Evans said.

Caputo said the bill is out of committee and will be "a tough lift" with funds being tight.

The resolutions states that the commissioners "are committed to protecting the taxpayers of the township from any undue financial burden arising from the Roche departure." 

The bill would provide Nutley a temporary increase in state aid arising from the closure of Roche and the tax revenue shortfall, so officials can protect Nutley taxpayers from having to make up the shortfall in higher taxes, Evans said.

Evans said the bill makes clear that any changes would not be permanent.

Officials said last summer that the governing body and town's professionals are uniting to ensure the best outcome for residents.

The resolution passed in July outlines the commissioners plans to use town attorneys, planning and zoning officials, and tax professionals and possibly outside tax counsels to tackle lost tax revenues, possible contamination of the site and how best to use the property.