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The Planning Board unanimously approved the blueprint on Oct. 26, a first step in redeveloping the Porete Avenue area.
The property had been tied up legally for years before a new administration got it going again.
“Mayor Joseph Bianchi actively pursued the development,” Councilman Richard Hughes told Daily Voice. “He met with the developers and contacted FedEx.”
The building is expected to open in 2017, offering 225 new jobs.
There will be two buildings -- a 139,000-square-foot main facility with a 19,000-square-foot truck maintenance garage, officials said.
And for the first time, Porete Avenue will have an access point directly to Belleville Turnpike. Currently there is only one roadway that exits on Schuyler Avenue, belonging to United Water (Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority).
FedEx will build an intersection with a light on Belleville Turnpike, said Robert Ceberio, owner of RCM Ceberio LLC, the borough's economic development consultant.
“The new roadway and traffic light will hopefully open up Porete Avenue for development which will be a tremendous, positive impact for the taxpayers of North Arlington,” Hughes said. “This will bring in good ratables to help offset the taxes on residential properties.”
The property was part of the Meadowlands EnCap controversy, which centered on a troubled golf course and housing project.
“I think we have closed the book on this site and the long history of EnCap and have opened a new chapter related to industrial uses at that location,” Ceberio said.
FedEx is awaiting permits from the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the intersection and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to make sure the site has been properly re-mediated.
Once the permits are granted, construction will take an estimated 17 months.
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