The issue
A developer, Michael Perrucci, and his company Peron Construction, want to build a warehouse in downtown Phillipsburg on 32 acres of land along the Delaware River. This proposed warehouse is commonly know as the Peron Howard Street Warehouse

Please sign our petition and let Phillipsburg Town Council members know you do not want this warehouse in downtown Phillipsburg along the Delaware River. If you wish, let Town Council members know why you do not want a warehouse. Some examples of negative effects are listed below.

The location where Peron Constructions wants to build this warehouse is an awful location for a warehouse, and it will have many negative effects on Phillipsburg.

We, all residents of Phillipsburg, want to stop this proposed warehouse.

How we will know if we are successful ?
We will know our petition is successful if Town Council does not pass a new ordinance as an end run around current lawsuits against already passed warehouse ordinances, and if the courts is giben the opportunity to issue decisions. 

We fully expect that once the court decisions have been issued, the 32 acres of land of the Peron Howard Street Property will return to Riverside Residential zoning. A warehouse could not be built on this land once it reverts back to Riverside Residential zoning.

Challenges

At present, there are two lawsuits against two separate ordinances that both rezoned the Peron Howard Street Property from Riverside Residential to Heavy Industrial. This Heavy Industrial zoning opened the door for a warehouse to be built on this property.

Both lawsuits revolve around conflicts of interests with Town Council members. We are very confident we have strong cases and will win both lawsuits.

We expect the developer and some Town Council members to introduce yet another ordinance in an attempt to do an end run around the lawsuits. Technically, it is Town Council members who introduce an ordinance. However, this developer has written previous ordinances for the Council members to present. Thus, we include the developer as part of the process of introducing a new ordinance.

Phillipsburg voters recently elected two members to the Phillipsburg Town Council who ran on the platform “No Warehouses In Downtown Phillipsburg” and “No Warehouses Blocking The View Of The Delaware River”. The people spoke with their vote as to what they wanted. We are hopeful these Council members will listen to their constituents, rather than a rich and powerful developer.

Why the warehouse location is wrong and the negative effects Phillipsburg will suffer
Our rationale as to why the location of the warehouse is wrong is based on the New Jersey Planning Commission’s Warehouse Siting Guidelines (NJPC-WSG), written September 7, 2022.

• Do not put a warehouse in residential areas
  The area of town where the warehouse is proposed to be built is know as the Flats. With the exception of a small strip of light industrial, the area is largely residential. As the guidelines state, “Do not put warehouses in residential areas” (NJPC-WSG). A warehouse will lower the quality of life for residents near the warehouse. A warehouse will hurt property values in the surrounding area.
• Truck traffic
  There will be a significant increase in the number of tractor trailers on Phillipsburg roads.
• Do not put large warehouses in over-burdened communities
  Only warehouses that are 150,000 square feet and under should be considered for over-burdened communities and urban cores (per NJPC-WSG). The Flats of Phillipsburg meet the definition of both an over-burdened community and an urban core. This is a totally inappropriate area for a 360,000 square foot warehouse. This is also a clear unaddressed environmental justice issue in Phillipsburg.
• Locate warehouses near major highways and arteries
  “Truck traffic can present substantial safety issues. Collisions with heavy-duty trucks are especially dangerous for passenger cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. These concerns can be even greater if truck traffic passes through residential areas, school zones, or other places where pedestrians are common and extra caution is warranted.” (NJPC-WSG)
• Tractor trailers are noisy and emit diesel fumes
  The increase in tractor trailers will significantly increase the noise and air pollution in the downtown Phillipsburg area. This would be particularly true in the Flats of Phillipsburg and in the various neighborhoods the tractor trailers would have to navigate to access a highway.
• Do not put warehouses next to active parks (per NJPC-WSG)
  The proposed warehouse on the Peron Howard Street property will partially encircle Delaware River Park, an active Green Acre area providing open space for the Town of Phillipsburg.
• A warehouse would hinder the town’s goal of becoming a Riverfront Destination
  The town has long planned to become a riverfront destination and revitalize the downtown. This proposed 65 foot tall, 360,000 square foot cold storage warehouse along 32 acres of land beside the Delaware River, plus additional truck traffic and other negative impacts will put the town’s hope of becoming a riverside destination in cold storage.

More Information and Resources

No Warehouse In Downtown Phillipsburg

Phillipsburg Environmental Watch (PEW)

New Jersey Highlands Coalition

Court documents

January 2023 PEW Warehouse Edition Newsletter