Discover Downtown Metuchen

BY ERIN McFEETERS

The tree-lined streets, charming homes, and countless small businesses welcome you into the Borough of Metuchen, and as soon as you take the exit, the hustle and bustle of the New Jersey Turnpike dies down almost instantly. This community is known for its small business commercial growth, community pride, easy access to major transit, and more.

“Metuchen is a small tightly-knit walkable community, with access to transit and neighborliness that is hard to find elsewhere,” said Isaac Kremer, Executive Director of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance. The alliance is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization whose goal is to manage and revitalize the business district of Metuchen.

Since the late 1800s, after the New Jersey Railroad finished the tracks to New Brunswick, Metuchen has been known as a commuter town with strong commercial ties. Those doing business in New York City sought after Metuchen in the late 19 th century and began to build homes during this era—many historic homes around town are from this period. Even though it became a commuter hotspot, Metuchen was not an independent borough until 1900.

“We’re a community of volunteers where people give generously of their time and talent on projects of importance to them and the community,” said Kremer. “Other communities look to Metuchen as a standard for innovative thinking in planning and design, supporting small businesses, and creating a vibrant community that includes everyone.”

According to Kremer, 137 businesses have opened since 2016, and 83% of those businesses are still open today. He attributes the success to alliance initiatives such as storefront improvement grants, regular downtown cleaning, commercial market research, reviving neglected public spaces, and more.

Main Street is chock-full of unique places to dine, shop, and explore. Everywhere you turn, there are small businesses you can’t find anywhere else. Find uncommon meatballs at Lotsa Balls, the perfect slice of coffee cake at Pastry Lu, one-of-a-kind gifts at Papillon & Company, and Irish favorites at Hailey’s Harp & Pub.

While many businesses are on the newer side, walking downtown feels like taking a step back in time with the town’s oldstyle architecture and colonial homes. All of Metuchen is packed into less than three square miles making it extremely walkable from home to downtown to the train station too.

However, the increasing desire for walkability and proximity to New York City pushed Metuchen’s single family median sales price up 15.2% in 2021 to $600,000 year-to-date according to New Jersey Realtors ® housing data. Prices in the townhouse-condo market segment also increased in 2021 to $285,500, a 26.9% percent year-to-date.

Metuchen has come a long way from having a couple of shops near the train station. With the new town plaza, the increasing number of small businesses, and developments underway, Metuchen’s continues to grow in popularity amoungst first-time buyers looking to plant roots. Kremer expects the remaining vacant spaces downtown to fill, new projects will bring new housing and commercial space, and entertainment opportunities will grow with the anticipated transportation of the Forum Theater into a state-of-theart performing arts center. The alliance plans to continue its efforts to expand public spaces in the next few years and foresees the downtown to bring in more tourists too.

“Downtown is the heart of the community that every day draws people together. When neighbors and friends encounter one another on Main Street, that is where new connections and ideas are sparked that enhance the community and make it a better place to live for everyone else,” said Kremer. “Most fundamentally, Metuchen has the heart of a small town with amenities typically found in much larger places.”