Sussex County proposal would add 400 apartments, retail near old Franklin zinc mine

Yahoo

09-04-2025

FRANKLIN — Plans have yet to be filed, but local officials have received an informal look at a proposed multi-story apartment building on Main Street, overlooking the old zinc mine which once dominated the borough's life.
Word of the potential 400-unit development brought about a dozen people to Tuesday night's Borough Council meeting, where they spent an hour asking questions about the project, other potential uses for the former mine property and what kind of affordable housing would be required under state regulations.
Borough Attorney John Ursin said officials have not seen any plans and that the council would be asking many of the same questions of the developer. He also said that because the plots of land in the plan have been declared an "area in need of redevelopment" by the town, the council will have input into any final decision, coordinating with the Franklin Planning Board.
The proposed building would include first-floor retail fronting on Main Street between Junction Street and the Franklin branch of the Sussex County Library. Two wings off each end of the building would extend westward and provide views of the Wallkill River.
Many of the comments focused on already highly traveled Route 23 which, while several blocks away, is a main commuter route from northern Sussex County to the rest of North Jersey.
Also of concern was the effect an additional 400 apartments, plus the possibility of more housing on adjoining land, would have on the borough school which some residents said is already at capacity. Others asked whether the borough's water and sewer systems could satisfy the added demand.
The town has its own water system relying on wells. The sewer system flows to the Upper Wallkill Wastewater facility operated by the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority.
The Markstone Group, the New York-based developer behind the plan, has already launched a website to promote the project, which is called Zinctown Parc. Along with the Main Street structure, conceptual renderings on the site also envision additional buildings down the hilly property and closer to freight railroad tracks and the Wallkill.
The website says Zinctown Parc would consist of a "thoughtfully planned mix of Main Street retail spaces and approximately 400 luxury rental residences, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. Residents can expect top-tier amenities, such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, inviting community spaces, and a café, all designed to foster connection and convenience."
Should the additional buildings be constructed, they would add more condominiums and apartments to the count of dwelling units in the main apartment building.
Thomas Prol, a Franklin native and attorney for the developer, said in an interview that the redevelopment would fit in with the borough's "historic environment and legacy."
In addition to the zinc mine, state records also show at least one other abandoned mine on the property, known as the Hill Mine. Both closed in the 1950s when the industrial need for zinc was replaced by other processes.
Prol said that satisfying current environmental standards "will be a costly cleanup," but he said that the final development will "restore vibrancy" to the area. The company has already begun some work by doing ground radar imaging to find any other mines shafts or other buried hazards, he added.
That radar search found one underground tank, which will be removed, Prol said.
Prol, who is not an owner in the project, said the entire borough "is ripe for rejuvenation" and the Zinctown project can play a significant part. The developer is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to pay off liens placed on the property for remediation done in past years by the state. Prol said the company has already signed a contract with the state DEP to purchase the land.
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Phil Crabb, a former borough councilman and current borough historian, said he favors proper development within the borough. But he said he has several questions he would ask about the potential impacts on the borough of 3,000 residents. The Zinctown project could boost the local population by perhaps 30%, Crabb estimated. Would the borough's police department need to add additional officers? Would the height of the building require the volunteer fire department to buy an aerial ladder or extended bucket truck to reach the roof? Would additional students create a need for more teachers or even classrooms, Crabb wondered?
"Is the borough equipped for a six-story building?" he summed up.
Crabb also expressed concerns about the continued deterioration of the nearby zinc mine, which has an inclined, 1,150-foot shaft that travels east under the borough.
More: In Franklin Borough, the ground is sinking. Abandoned mines to blame.
"It's filled up with water and we know it is collapsing," he said. He said there are signs of subsidence at the surface, pointing to the area around High Street as an example.
He also noted there are records which show a third "entrance" near the known zinc mine entrance. "That was known as the 'timber shaft'," Crabb said, "It was where they could lower the large timbers used to reinforce the mine."
Crabb urged against a rush toward development.
"After all," he said, "It's been like that since 1954.."
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This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County housing plan proposes 400 units near old zinc mine