Flemington-The Borough Council is expected to vote on the reconstruction plan of Liberty Village on Monday night.

The 23-acre redevelopment plan is conceived as a new diversified residential area, providing financial support for the district’s downtown area, while matching the size and characteristics of the district, creating a comprehensive and cohesive built environment ."

The plan calls for "diversified housing opportunities" in multi-family and/or townhouse units to accommodate different incomes and family sizes.

Although the total number of residential units is not specified, the plan recommends that 15% of rental units be reserved as affordable housing and 20% of units for sale are affordable.

The plan proposes to use red brick as the main component of the building facade facing the public area. The exterior wall of the building should be finished with stone veneer, brick, fiber cement board or cast stone. The use of vinyl siding is prohibited. 

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The passage of the redevelopment plan is the first step in the new construction of the country's first outlet mall, which is in trouble and most of the stores are empty.

After the planning committee reviews and approves the reconstruction plan, the administrative district can find a redevelopment company for the site near Highway 12 on the southwestern edge of the administrative district.

Then, the project must proceed before the site planning review by the planning committee, and a developer agreement must be negotiated between the builder and the borough.

When Freedom Village opened in 1981 ten years ago, it was a huge success and was expanded in the late 1990s.

Every weekend, especially during the holiday season, shoppers from the entire metropolitan area flock to Flemington, and the parking lot is full.

But as more retail spaces were built in Raritan Township and Central New Jersey, and the retail model shifted to online shopping and discount stores, Liberty Village experienced a steady decline.

This 168,836-square-foot shopping mall is owned by Simon Property Group, one of the largest shopping mall developers in the United States. The group also owns Menlo Park, Rockaway Town Plaza, and Quays in Tinton Falls and Jackson. Kerbridge Shopping Center and Outlet Center.

Namdar Realty Group acquired Liberty Village in 2019. Namdar is a privately held commercial real estate investment company that owns and manages more than 51 million square feet of commercial real estate in the United States.

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. For unrestricted access to his articles about Somerset and Hunterdon County, please subscribe or activate your digital account now.