Glassboro, New Jersey

January 30, 2025

Glassboro, New Jersey

Where Community, Diversity, and Growth Thrive

 

Welcome to a borough that is charming, dynamic and looking towards future development

Glassboro is a unique community where rural charm meets urban vibrancy. The city effortlessly blends a rich heritage with modern development. Mayor John E. Wallace III describes Glassboro as “a growing and bustling university town with a very welcoming and open community.”

This strong sense of community is further emphasized by Megan Varrell, Director of Public Relations & Business Development, who highlights the borough’s collaborative spirit and high quality of life. “We are very prideful in our community. We have great relationships, not only with the university, but the public school district. We also describe ourselves as an up and coming urban community. We have a lot of walking areas and a dense downtown population that has a lot of places for you to work, play and eat.”

Business and Diversity

Business Administrator Edward Malandro discusses the variety of restaurants and businesses contributing to the borough’s vibrant atmosphere. “We just opened a new restaurant called Spicy Bar, which has a swanky vibe,” he shares. “There’s all types of food. Essentially, it’s shaping the diversity by offering something for everyone who wants to visit our downtown.”

Glassboro is also attracting high-end services, like the medical spa on Rowan Boulevard, catering to clientele from across South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. “This is bringing in different clientele, who are coming in for these procedures that we might not have seen 5,6,7, years ago,” conveys Varrell.

The borough is home to thriving enterprises such as a worldwide logistics company, who are currently in the process of expansion into a new building, which will also have space for other businesses. Liscio’s Italian Bakery is a beloved Glassboro success story. Varrell imparts, “Liscio’s is our hometown bakery, but they are all over the Delaware Valley. They’re also opening up a brand new store for a flagship store here in the borough.”

As for business attraction, Glassboro is open to concepts such as open air restaurants and high end shopping experiences that will draw people to the community and give them a reason to stay. Malandro explains that a memorandum of understanding is in place with a developer to build a 175-unit apartment complex, which will include approximately 9,000 square feet of retail space. The goal is to fill a significant portion of that space with a variety of restaurants. Additionally, a partnership with a restaurateur is in the works to create a two-story, open-air restaurant.

“We think it’s very important to create the density to support these restaurants,” he stresses. “We also have 96  top bottom duplexes that are being built with rooftop decks. We’re working on attracting both the businesses and the consumer as well, to come in and support them at the same time.”

 

Development and Housing Growth

Malandro outlines the borough’s approach to streamlining development processes while maintaining high standards. “When we say streamline, we don’t cut any corners,”  he notes. “To give you an example, the developer we’re working with right now for the 96 units, we meet with them every other Thursday and we go over their plans. They’re sitting with our engineer, with our head of code, with myself, the administrator, with our solicitor, and with our redevelopment attorney. It eliminates a lot of stuff going back and forth when you have all those people on one call.”

Mayor Wallace expands on this, sharing that Glassboro works closely with developers from the initial planning stages through to construction. The borough’s team makes sure that projects move smoothly by coordinating with engineers, planners, and inspectors. “We do millions of dollars worth of construction in the borough every year, and our office handles it all,” he says. “We’re very proud of our relationship with not only large developers, but the individual business owners and residents, for any projects they may be doing.”

Housing remains a key focus for Glassboro, with townhomes, apartments, and single-family dwellings under development or in the planning stages throughout the community. “We’re pretty proud of the fact that we’re going to add well over 850 housing units in the next two, two and a half years,” says Clark Pierpont, Assistant Business Administrator.

Since 1993, Glassboro has partnered with Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity to support affordable housing for families. Varrell elaborates, “We are one of their premier choice destinations. So, while we’re building all this, we keep our fingers on the pulse and do what we can to support low to moderate income families. This extends from just letting them build here. We actually donate some properties to them to help them keep their costs down.”

The borough’s commitment to affordable housing and community support  is further exemplified through a  project in partnership with the Glassboro Housing Authority, Gloucester County Housing Authority, and an outside developer to bring an affordable housing project aimed at seniors and people with disabilities. “We assisted financially with the demolition of an old run down housing project, as well as giving them some other financial incentives for the build,” the mayor recounts. “That just opened this past June, and there was quite the waiting list to get in.”

Traffic, Parking, and Public Safety

As Glassboro grows, leadership is working hard to address challenges like traffic and parking. These issues can be attributed to the growth in the borough, along with major expansion of Rowan University’s campus in the community. “The borough has made strides with parking,” reports Mayor Wallace. “We have instituted a paid parking initiative in our downtown, and it’s been working fantastic. With regards to traffic, we have solicited the county to work in conjunction with us on a traffic pattern that will direct traffic that needs to get to a major roadway.”

On the traffic side, Pierpont points out that the borough actively considers traffic impacts when planning new developments. “If we need a little extra room along the frontage of the property to possibly add a lane at an intersection for turning, we make that part of the agreement,” he portrays, noting that the route 47 project, in partnership with the state, is also crucial. “Part of our input on that project was that some of these traffic lights need to be retimed, because at different times of the day that light might not be long enough, it might not give enough time for left turns,” he says. “They’ve done a good job of involving us with that, so that our concerns are met.”

With the expansion of Rowan University and residential areas, Mayor Wallace acknowledges that public safety is an ongoing area of focus. He says, “Rowan is growing at an exponential rate, and we’re bringing in more families and more residential into the borough. That being said, we have been extremely successful up to this point in managing this growth, and our safety record here in the borough is hard to rival.”

Community Engagement and Quality of Life

Glassboro takes pride in its community-oriented events and initiatives such as the Main Street Music and Arts Festival, created in collaboration with Rowan University students. Varrell recalls, “Last year, a group of seniors came to us, and they wanted to host the festival. It was a great opportunity to involve the students, highlighting bands and musicians from different genres and age groups. We found it to be very successful.”

Other popular events include Restaurant Week, which celebrates the borough’s diverse dining scene, and seasonal festivals like the Labor Day Car Show, Craft Beer Fest, and the Borough in Lights holiday celebration, featuring a 30-foot Christmas tree. “We are very proud that we work with our community to grow and put the unity in community,” Varrell asserts.

In 2024, Glassboro received federal funding through Congressman Norcross to support the senior center’s transportation needs. A $1 million grant was allocated for an electric bus and charging station, in line with the borough’s Green Energy Initiative. Additionally, federal funds for a gasoline-powered bus will allow the senior center to provide local trips and larger day excursions, reducing the need for rental services.

 

A Vibrant Future

Looking ahead, Mayor Wallace says, “I see the future of Glassboro being like the quintessential college town, where we will continue to craft the municipality to keep community at the forefront of everything, but at the same time, making our community a destination point for people of all ages, not just to visit, but to hopefully come and start their lives and careers in our area.”

AT A GLANCE

Glassboro, New Jersey

What: A rapidly expanding college community with a blend of rural and urban amenities

Where: Gloucester County, New Jersey

Website: www.glassboro.org

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DIG DIGITAL?

January 2025

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