The Market Place, proposed for the westbound side of Route 33 between Perrineville and Bentley roads, is designed to comprise about 400,000 square feet of national retail, 200,000 square feet of specialty shops and about 26,000 square feet of restaurant space.

In addition, we are planning 562 residential units – ideal for young professionals and mature township residents who want to live in a vibrant town center that links to public transit. As The Market Place is designed to serve as a transit village for local commuters - just off Interchange 8 of the New Jersey Turnpike - it will feature a Park and Ride and plenty of space for easy drop-offs and pick-ups.

We are proud to note that more than half of the property will be preserved for open space, featuring walking trails and parks for your family’s enjoyment.

This exciting community is expected to generate $7.5 million in property tax relief every year, according to an October 2005 fiscal impact study. Nearly $4.7 million of that revenue would be earmarked to support the township public schools.

The $40 million, privately-financed ballpark will be a great source of local pride and provide the ideal venue for family entertainment, as well as provide employment for township seniors.

For The Market Place to succeed, it needs to be accessible. That is why we have budgeted $10 million in private funds for public road improvements to Route 33, Perrineville Road and Bentley Road to the benefit of all.

The Market Place will feature its own interior system of roads aligned to connect with new roads, making it possible for motorists to get around and through the community with ease.

Edgewood Properties, one of the partners in The Market Place, is donating 11 acres of land to the Foundation to construct an 18,500-square-foot headquarters. With plans to open the new facility by 2008, Make-A-Wish leaders say the new building will enhance the way the organization orchestrates the “wish experience” for children struggling with the challenges of life-threatening medical conditions.

This first-of-its-kind facility east of the Mississippi River will allow the Foundation to consolidate its operational offices and employees currently housed in Union Township and Cherry Hill.

When children first see the “Wishing Place,” they will know it is a place built for them. Designed to look like a castle, the new headquarters will serve as a beacon of hope for seriously ill children who want their fondest wish to come true. Unlike the hospitals and treatment facilities they spend so much time in, this special place will inspire hope, resonate fun, create magic and bring joy to all who enter.

This facility – destined to be a true source of pride for Monroe - will allow wish-granting to become a uniquely magical experience for every child. The “Wishing Place” had been designed to reveal the imaginative possibilities of a wish, at a time when life is offering an escalating series of limitations.

The facility also will house volunteer training and development activities for the wish-granting volunteers throughout the year, a multi-purpose room for wish-granting and special events, a children’s garden and a wishing well.

Yes. In May 2005, Mayor Richard Pucci formed the Route 33 Land Development Task Force, charging the volunteers with recommending zoning, land use and potential development for the 2.3-mile stretch of Route 33 that runs through Monroe.

The task force reviewed the area’s highway development zone with an eye toward enhancing its potential, but without creating the hodgepodge of commercial development typical on New Jersey highways.

After meeting with us to learn about the plan, the five-member task force released an interim report on September 8, 2005. In their findings, the group members stated, an upscale retail village, luxury condominiums and a minor league ball park could benefit the township, bringing in millions of dollars in property tax relief and enhancing the image of our community,  comprising more than 30,000 residents. All of this would be accomplished without creating a burden on existing municipal services.

“This project would preclude the development of the less than attractive highway strip retail that has become the norm on highways like Route 18 and 9,” the report stated. “As part of this proposal, all of the land not used within the residential and retail areas will become a combination of forever-preserved open space and the uplands not utilized along the highway will be dedicated for municipal use.”

The Market Place is considered an ideal example of “Smart Growth,” a planning principle embraced by New Jersey’s economic development and transportation officials.

We urge you to learn more about “Smart Growth” by visiting the state Office of Smart Growth website at www.nj.gov/dca/osg/smart/index.shtml, where “Smart Growth” is defined as “well-planned, well-managed growth that adds new homes and creates new jobs, while preserving open space, farmland and environmental resources.”