By Patricia Alex, Staff Writer, The Record
A fledgling commercial district with a mix of restaurants, stores and apartments is taking shape on the edge of the campus of The College of New Jersey.
At Montclair State University, a $211 million dorm complex added nearly 2,000 beds.
And at Ramapo College, there have been new investments in solar power.
The projects at these state schools weren’t financed by public dollars but by private developers who paid for them in return for a chance to make money on their investments. They profit from rent and lease payments and the sale of energy.
In all, New Jersey’s state colleges and universities have used the partnerships to generate more than $600 million in construction statewide over the past six years.
But a stalemate in Trenton may mean that The College of New Jersey’s $120 million Campus Town in Mercer County will be the last of those joint projects for a while. Plans now on the drawing board, including two new dormitories at William Paterson University, are likely on hold.
Governor Christie has refused to sign legislation that would allow the program to continue because the bill requires developers to pay union wages and benefits to construction workers, which the governor says could increase the cost of the projects.
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