Message from Deputy Mayor Matt Adams – May 29, 2026

After decades of planning, discussing, dreaming, and debating, the next great American downtown is finally coming soon to Scotch Plains! What once seemed elusive and just out of reach, is now closer to reality than ever.

Last Monday, representatives of Woodmont Properties were on hand at town hall for a public unveiling of their long-awaited plan for the public properties portion of the Scotch Plains downtown revitalization plan before a standing-room-only audience of past and present township officials, business owners, and residents.

The plan features a careful balance of retail space, public plazas, parking, and residences with careful attention paid to preserving our community’s historic character.  If you missed Woodmont’s presentation, you can view the conceptual renderings, meeting recording, and download the slides from the presentation on the township website.

This is the culmination of the planning process that began in 2021 when the Township Council adopted a Downtown Redevelopment Plan for Township-owned properties for the first time in its history.  Prior to the adoption of the plan, between 2017 and 2021, the Township Council, in an effort spanning two separate mayoral administrations, held approximately 35 public meetings and conducted surveys to gather community input.

In 2022, the Township conducted an extensive public Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process, which assessed the proposals of 11 separate downtown redevelopers. Ultimately, the Council selected Woodmont in 2023 based on their experience and proposed design for Scotch Plains.

In 2024, the Township received New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Line Verification Approval, which placed that agency’s stamp of approval on the flood hazard area design elevations for use in engineering the proposed project.  From there, the plans for the downtown public properties were prepared and ultimately publicized for community feedback.  

The response has been overwhelmingly positive from residents and business owners.  

Following the plan’s unveiling, I have engaged extensively with business owners along the Park Avenue and East Second Street business corridors.  Business owners cite the need to make Scotch Plains a destination for shopping, the arts, and dining to ensure that the local economy continues to flourish and that our small businesses are able to compete with those in neighboring communities.

Residents also point to the long-overdue need for enhancements to the amenities that our downtown offers to improve their quality of life and continue to increase residential property values. 

One aspect of the downtown public properties plan often overlooked is that these prime swaths of real estate currently generate zero income for the township because they are governmentally owned and operated.  That is about to change, as our community’s most significant commercial rateables will be created by this project.  Rateables like these have a direct, favorable correlation to the stability of the municipal portion of the tax burden on residential property owners. The Township will hold additional public information sessions in the future to discuss the financial benefits of this project. 

So, what is next? In the coming weeks, the plans will be fine-tuned based on public feedback.  Then, this summer, a final permit application for the project will be submitted to NJDEP for their review and approval.  That approval is a critical step before shovels can go in the ground downtown.  While many of our predecessors have pondered projects like this, none have come anywhere near this close to the finish line.

Simultaneous to the final approval process that must play out in Trenton, planning will accelerate for the new emergency services building on Plainfield Avenue.  Last year, the Township acquired a commercial property adjacent to the Department of Public Works yard in direct response to public feedback.  The move will pull the planned building further out of the adjacent residential neighborhood and allow for more of a landscape buffer.

By the end of this year, we are hopeful that NJDEP will grant our permit for Woodmont’s downtown plan and that planning for the emergency services headquarters will be complete so that ground can break in 2027.  

Relocating our public safety and emergency services personnel to Plainfield Avenue is a critical first step that will allow for the sale and demolition of the existing municipal building, firehouse, and adjacent public surface parking lot.  As with anything construction-related, these timelines are estimates and subject to revision, but I remain optimistic that we can move quickly.

Across New Jersey, successful downtown revitalization projects in towns like Morristown, Cranford, Red Bank, and Metuchen have demonstrated how thoughtful redevelopment can strengthen local economies, improve walkability, increase civic activity, and enhance quality of life without sacrificing local identity.  All the while, residential property values in these desirable communities continue to soar.  

Working alongside our partners, professionals, and the leadership of the Township, I have no doubt that Scotch Plains can achieve similar success while preserving its unique character.  We are a community very different from those mentioned, but each has been able to evolve to accommodate modern, economically thriving downtowns partnering with Woodmont.

Historically, downtowns have always served as the civic heartbeat of American towns, and that is particularly true in Scotch Plains — a community with roots dating back to the 1600s and a rich legacy stretching from colonial settlement to its role as a transportation crossroads and cultural center in Union County.  

Our public properties redevelopment effort represents an opportunity to reconnect the township’s historic downtown with modern economic vitality, creating a destination that can once again serve as both a gathering place and a source of community pride for future generations.

Ultimately, the unveiling of Woodmont’s plan is not simply about new buildings, infrastructure, or shiny new objects. It is about the next chapter in the history of Scotch Plains. It is about honoring the township’s past while building a downtown capable of serving the needs of residents, families, businesses, and visitors for decades to come. 

After years of anticipation, the community now stands at a true turning point — one that future generations will look back on as the moment Scotch Plains fully reimagined and renewed its historic downtown core.  

I look forward to what comes next, and my colleagues and I are always open to public feedback at every step along the way.  Since day one, public feedback has been a critical driver of this lengthy process, and has, indeed, made this plan better along the way.