One redevelopment project will have to wait to break ground and another may have to halt certain aspects of construction, under an executive order issued by the governor to try to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday signed Executive Order (EO) No. 122, which includes, among other things, “ceasing all non-essential construction projects,” effective Friday at 8 p.m.

The only redevelopment project currently active in Rahway would be The Brownstones at Elizabeth and West Grand avenues. The first phase began in the summer of 2018 and includes about 172 apartments. Ultimately, the entire project will be built over several years and include about 487 units across four, five-story buildings.

Construction inside the building falls within non-essential so that work will be put on hold but it remains to be seen what other aspects of the job would have to halt.

“The Brownstones construction, and where it falls on the spectrum of essential versus non-essential is a bit unclear at the moment,” Lauren Ferrigno, the city’s public relations coordinator, said via email today. The city will seek further clarification from the building department and city counsel to determine if construction on the outside of the building that still needs to be completed is considered essential. “Some of this work entails laying sod and putting in sidewalks, which in turn help lay the foundation for some of the outdoor amenities to the building, some of which does fall under non-essential construction,” she said.

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BREAKING: I’m signing an Executive Order to further our aggressive efforts to enforce social distancing. All non-essential construction across New Jersey will CEASE, indefinitely, effective 8:00 PM Friday. Exceptions include projects at our hospitals and schools, in our transportation and public utility sector, the building of affordable housing, other individual housing sites that can adhere to strict limits on the number of workers on-site, and other limited instances. We’re also aiming to mitigate overcrowding at essential retail stores – particularly in our grocery stores. Under this Executive Order, all essential retail must indefinitely limit the number of customers allowed in their stores to NO MORE than 50% of their approved capacity. Additionally, customers & employees must wear face coverings. Stores must also provide special shopping hours for high-risk individuals, erect physical barriers between customers and cashiers and baggers where practicable, regularly sanitize areas used by their employees, & more. This Executive Order will also put greater protections in place for workers at our warehouses, and in manufacturing. No one should be working where social distancing isn’t being practiced to its fullest extent.

A post shared by Governor Phil Murphy (@govmurphy) on Apr 8, 2020 at 10:42am PDT

The second phase of The Mint, at Monroe and Main streets, was expected to break ground this year, after completion of the first phase in January, which includes 116 units in a five-story development. Construction will not be able to begin on The Mint until the EO is lifted. The second phase of the project, to be built at the corner of Poplar and Main streets, will include 108 units.