Dunellen, New Jersey – Middlesex County

October 31, 2024

Dunellen, New Jersey

Small but Strategically Located

A Square Mile Community, 30 miles from New York City

Embracing the tagline, “Small Enough to Know You-Large Enough to Serve You,” Dunellen, New Jersey, is a suburban community that proudly balances its rich traditions with a forward-thinking vision. Often described as having a “Rockwellian” charm, it’s a close-knit place where neighbors support one another, and children grow up forming lifelong connections. “It’s the kind of town you want to grow up in as a kid,” portrays Mayor Jason Cilento. “And it’s really a town that you can always come home to.”

With excellent recreational opportunities, schools, and affordable housing options, Dunellen also boasts easy access to major employment hubs like New York City and Jersey City, as well as fellow Middlesex County municipality, City of New Brunswick; home to Rutgers University and hub to the healthcare industry, making it an ideal location for families, professionals, and businesses. The focus is on providing top-quality amenities and services, and the borough is committed to enhancing safety and quality of life for residents, as it continues to grow and thrive.

Marketing the Borough

To further enhance its appeal and attract new residents, businesses, and visitors, Dunellen is actively promoting the municipality to highlight its unique advantages, showcasing a community that is both welcoming and forward-thinking. Communications Coordinator, Billy George says the borough utilizes various organizations to help market the borough, including the Dunellen Downtown Management Organization who promotes and engages downtown businesses, participating in ribbon cuttings, beautification projects, and advertising milestones.

The borough takes a multi-faceted approach to community engagement, reaching out through social media, print publications, and email blasts. George portrays, “Dunellen definitely has that close-knit feel. The mayor is active in the community, many residents have grown up together and now raise their own families here, and we have many volunteers that generously donate their time for the betterment of our Borough.”

A Historic and Forward-Thinking Approach

Downtown Dunellen offers the quintessential small-town experience, with its quaint 1920s-era architecture, featuring 3 story buildings complete with brick facades, awnings, and gooseneck lighting. This area of the community is currently experiencing a revitalization, coming back strong after decades of challenges. The Borough has implemented a redevelopment plan which was initiated in the early 2000s by Dunellen’s former Mayor Robert Seader and has been amended since Mayor Cilento has taken office to meet the current needs of the downtown. “I consider that plan a living document, because there are always things that you learn from, and then you build upon, and you don’t make progress if you’re not willing to make amendments to things,” says Cilento.

The focus is on improving the pedestrian and transit experience, while also supporting local businesses, and preserving the small-town charm. Sustainability is also top of mind, and Dunellen was one of the first municipalities in the state to adopt a climate resiliency plan. The emphasis is on stormwater management and green practices in the heart of the community. “So, we help the environment, but also the economy at the same time. They’re not mutually exclusive.” Cilento maintains.

Downtown Business Attraction

A five-year tax abatement for small property owners has been put in place, encouraging improvements and upgrades to downtown buildings. “It’s for the property owners that don’t want to sell their buildings, but that want to stay in town and want to reinvest. I love that,” stresses Cilento. “I encourage somebody who’s been here for years, to reinvest in their property and attract a new business or help the current business improve their commercial space.”

There are also efforts to make it easier for new enterprises to come into Dunellen. “We’ve now cut the red tape for them, so they don’t have to wait longer for us to put those ordinances into place. We have an ordinance that allows breweries, distilleries, wineries, microbreweries, to come into town,” Cilento details. As New Jersey gains a reputation as the film industry of the East Coast, and with an ideal location close to larger cities, the borough is ready to roll out the red carpet. “We have some industrial complexes that might make sense if somebody wants to open up a smaller production or film studio,” he relays. “So, while we don’t have certain industries in town right now, we have put the infrastructure in place to welcome them. It’s one of those, ‘if you build it, they will come’ scenarios. I’m hopeful that they will come.”

Downtown Investment and Development

Enticing both businesses and residents into Dunellen is key to these redevelopment efforts. Cilento recounts, “The more expendable income that is within the downtown, the more likely it will help attract more diverse kinds of businesses because there is now more opportunity in the market for them.” A major project is Dunellen Station’s “Art Color” development, which transformed a 19-acre factory site into a vibrant new community with easy access to transportation. This $110 million investment is home to retail spaces, townhomes, and rental apartments, including affordable units, and convenient amenities that make life easier for commuters and families. Located in the downtown core, this new community will also bring additional retail space. “Our goal is that through the revitalization of our downtown, we will then increase the commercial values, which will help offset and stabilize the tax burden on the residential side,” asserts Cilento.

Infrastructure and Community Services

Borough Administrator, Alex Miller shares that Columbia Park, one of Dunellen’s cherished community spaces, underwent significant updates in 2019, which he conveys were a “huge benefit for the community.” The renovations included a state-of-the-art turf football and soccer field, a rubberized track, beautifully refurbished tennis courts, and a new playground.

Dunellen is also working on improving essential municipal services, and an expansion or potential replacement of the Municipal Hall is currently being assessed. “We’re working with planners and our engineers and professional staff on what our options are. It is good for us to evaluate and see what’s best fiscally for the municipality because we clearly don’t want to overspend,” acknowledges Mayor Cilento, “but we also need to update facilities.” The possibility of incorporating municipal services, such as the public library, around the train station through redevelopment efforts, which was outlined as a potential need in Dunellen’s redevelopment plan, is also being considered.

Currently, the priority is on rebuilding a firehouse, which sustained significant damage in a 2021 fire. “It wasn’t completely demolished because the fire didn’t take out the entire building,” Cilento expands. “It took out all of the equipment that’s needed to operate a department. With public safety at the forefront of our minds, it was essential that we focused immediate efforts on restoring the firehouse. We’re looking forward to our fire department getting back to operating at full strength and we’re appreciative of all the outside agencies that provided aid to our fire department and community throughout this process”.

Open for Business

Cilento remarks on Dunellen’s commitment to business attraction, and the intentional approach to redevelopment. “We are absolutely open for business,” he emphasizes. The redevelopment strategy involves rezoning different sections of the town and identifying specific characteristics and objectives.

In the downtown core, the focus is on mixed-use development, while transition areas on both the west and east sides are designated for both full residential development and mixed-use spaces. Located behind the downtown, the Front Street transition area is geared towards smaller residential projects or municipal services.

The Flex transition area, in the borough’s industrial district, is designed to attract larger retail businesses, such as big-box stores and supermarkets. “So really, we’re trying to encourage mom-and-pop shops, and national chains to come into the town,” Cilento depicts. “We want to have that diverse portfolio of businesses, especially because the downtown core really supports eateries, coffee shops, hopefully bookstores, and little art spaces. And then the Flex transition area really could support those larger business structures. Over time, our goal is to have it all here in our Miracle Mile so one doesn’t have to go too far for the services and goods they need daily.”

A Suburban Lifestyle

On the housing side, Dunellen has a diverse mix of options, from single to multi-family units. “Downtown is really the place where we are trying to push that higher density form of living and respecting the single-family or two-family type of residential units that are spread out throughout the town,” says Cilento. “People want to live in the suburbs. That’s historically the American dream and our goal is to maintain that feel in Dunellen while also moving it forward to revitalize the downtown.”

While Dunellen has accessibility to major cities, the borough is an entertainment destination of its own. The Dunellen Theatre, one of the oldest in the country, has a storied history, recently returning to its roots, offering a plethora of experiences from concerts to comedy. Cilento boasts, “I’m telling you, it’s like 200 people are downtown at any given night at that cinema, and they’re going to the restaurants beforehand.” The community is also home to unique establishments such as the Dunellen Hotel Restaurant & Rathskeller, Zupko’s Tavern, Rome Pizzeria, a half-century-old traditional style pizzeria, Lily Yip’s Table Tennis, and The Break, named the oldest continuously running arcade in the country.

The Future is Vibrant

As it continues to evolve, Dunellen is on the path to success. Looking ahead, attention will be on the implementation of a Special Improvement District to help promote, fund, and manage future downtown initiatives. Dunellen is positioning itself as a promising hub for residents, visitors, and investors in Central New Jersey. “There is so much potential and opportunity for Dunellen and we believe we’re the next big thing,” concludes Mayor Cilento. “Maybe it’s a pie-in-the-sky idea, but I’ll keep aiming for it. Why not?”