Residents File Petition for Referendum with Clerk's Office

The petition calling for a referendum on the bond issue for the Edison redevelopment project has officially been filed with the township clerk.

told Patch 1,643 signatures were submitted to the clerk's office Thursday afternoon.

The group is seeking the repeal of a . The ordinance would issue general obligation bonds to the developer of the Edison property on Main Street, Prism Capital Partners, LLC.

The bonds in question will cover the infrastructure costs on the proposed project that would erect 333 luxury apartment units for-rent and 18,500 square feet of retail space in the Edison battery building.

"We're not against redevelopment, we all want something there, but we shouldn't be paying for it," said resident Rosary Morelli, who is spearheading the initiative. "There's not a high level of comfort with this whole thing, a lot of questions haven't gotten answered."

Mark Meyerowitz, one of the organizers behind the campaign, said the clerk's office had a 10-day deadline to verify the signatures. At least 1,234 valid signatures from registered voters in West Orange are needed to push the referendum to the ballot. 

Officials with the clerk's office have not yet determined when the vote would take place if enough signatures are collected. Should the referendum require a special election, Karen Carnevale, the municipal clerk said the election would cost roughly $80,000. The clerk's office was closed Friday and not available for comment.

Meyerowitz said the group would run a campaign to raise awareness over the bond issue as it nears a vote.