Town officials want a joint meeting with Lopatcong, where the expanded entrance to Commerce Park is proposed.
Phillipsburg leaders are worried that their neighbor's traffic concerns are slowing a major commercial development.
An eight-warehouse complex totaling 4 million square feet is proposed for Commerce Park, the nearly 400-acre site between Phillipsburg and Lopatcong Township, which includes the former Ingersoll Rand property.
The multimillion-dollar project is led by Medford, New Jersey-based developer Opus Investments.
While most of the development falls in Phillipsburg, the key to the project is the main entrance off Route 22 in Lopatcong, where officials have yet to sign off on the general site plan. Opus principal Erin Murphy said the proposed turning lanes are "imperative to the success of the project."
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"Lopatcong is kind of slowing the process," Phillipsburg Mayor Stephen Ellis said at a town council meeting this week. He proposed a joint meeting with Lopatcong's leaders, possibly bringing in the state Department of Transportation to help alleviate traffic concerns.
Two Lopatcong officials on Friday said they would be open to a joint meeting.
"I know Steve is very concerned," Mayor Tom McKay said. "This is an enormous shot in the arm for his town."
Construction is expected to begin this year and continue into 2021. When finished, the Commerce Park warehouses are expected to provide 2,765 jobs and generate $425 million annually in economic output.
Lopatcong Council President Joseph Pryor said he is in favor of the project overall, but his township's concerns must be addressed.
"The majority of trucks will either be coming from or going to 78," he said. "That corridor ... is already heavily traveled."
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.