The 248-unit project proposed on the site of The Center Circle sports complex likely will not require the Rahway River levee to be 18 feet. Rahway Main Street is expected to have a first floor elevation of 14 feet.
In his report to Redevelopment Agency commissioners at the March 5 meeting, Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said at the time that there may be some difficulty based on what the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sets as a levee. Preliminary conversations between the developer, Lavallette-based AST Development Corporation, and the DEP confirmed that the “flood plain does not appear to extend into the development site.”
At one point, there was the possibility that the site would be not able to be developed if an 18-foot levee was required, Pelissier told commissioners. A 14-foot levee would not require in-fill and the developer believes that first-floor elevation would work, he said, adding that the developer has since received confirmation via letter from DEP.
g levee is 13.7 feet above sea level, according to Pelissier.