December 10, 2018 | NJTOD
As posted on NJTOD
Bound Brook is on the cusp of a major turnaround, with a pipeline of new transit-oriented development projects that could potentially add 2,500 new residents, a 25 percent increase, within the next three years. While the Borough welcomes a growing population, it is also focusing on serving current residents, improving the region’s access to jobs, and creating a renewed sense of community.
As many of Bound Brook’s residents know, the Borough’s homes, businesses and infrastructure have frequently suffered from flooding after major storms, including Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Irene in 2011. While the Borough lost population between 1970 and 1990, the number of residents has grown steadily since 1990 to its current level of about 11,000. The population is relatively young and diverse, with almost half of all residents identifying as Hispanic/Latino of any race in 2014, and about 30 percent foreign-born. Annual RiverFest Art & Music Fair highlights the community’s diversity and new business arrivals.
Residents breathed a sigh of relief with the completion of the $143 million Bound Brook section of the Green Brook Flood Control Project, which protects the three sides of the Borough. Overall, thirteen flood-prone communities in Somerset, Middlesex and Union counties will be protected by the Green Brook Flood Control Project, the cost of which will exceed $400 million when complete. Now, new developers, residents, and business owners are paying attention to Bound Brook, as the completion of the flood control project has significantly renewed confidence in the Borough’s future. Due to the flood protections, Bound Brook no longer requires property owners to have costly flood insurance, which had been required of roughly 500 downtown businesses.
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