Economic Development Talks About Bayer Leaving Montville

Slow and steady wins the race was the mantra at Wednesday’s Economic Development Committee meeting at the Montville Township Municipal Building.

Several members of the EDC, including Montville Mayor Jim Sandham, as well as a few small business liaisons were in attendance as the group discussed many topics including the potential closing of Bayer, a crucial Montville business, new incoming businesses, branding, and zoning issues.

The main concern, according to EDC member Margaret Miller-Sanders is that losing the Bayer company will cost between 200 and 400 people their jobs and will also hurt traffic into the town dramatically.

“We’re hoping to get them to stay if we can,” said Sanders. “We are also concerned about existing businesses because the employees of Bayer have children in day care and with the loss of those jobs, the need for day care disappears, hurting the day care businesses as well.”

The abandoned site where the Sunoco gas station used to be at the end of Changebridge Road is also of large concern for the EDC. The goal of the committee is to make the edges of Montville a more attractive place, a sort of welcoming mat for all those who drive into Montville.

“We want people to want to come here,” said EDC member Deane Driscoll. “We have to get something in there that has that effect.”

According to Sanders, developers have been calling to inquire about putting retail stores on the Sunoco property but wanted to put in five to six small stores similar to Beverwyck Road in Parsippany. The town instead wanted three to four occupants because of parking concerns.

“The site is just not that large,” said Sanders. “Six tenants is probably a few too many for that little area”.

Sanders said they are going through the process of trying to find prospective occupants who fit these criteria.

In order to do this, EDC Principal Planner Megan Hunscher came up with the idea of reaching out directly to retailers with comprehensive packets to go along with a bus tour of the town to showcase Montville and what it has to offer.

“We want them to explore Montville,” said EDC member Jennifer Horowitz.

The plan has been ongoing for the past several months and will continue until the town and any prospective buyers share common needs.

The final issue raised at the meeting was of color scheme branding by businesses in the town. While several members of the EDC were in favor of encouraging businesses, large or small, to adopt Montville’s green and white color schemes, others were opposed to the idea.

“National brands who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their brands alone should not be forced to change their color schemes to fit that of the town they are located in,” said business liaison Ron Soussa.

Planning Board Liaison Russ Lapari agreed saying that local businesses, such as Montville Bagels, would be more easily encouraged to adopt Montville’s color scheme because they are strictly a Montville business and do not have stores outside the town.

"We want to make the town better,” said Sanders.