FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ – A federal grant of more than $1.4 million will go toward revitalizing a poultry processing plant in Franklin Township, NJ, according to CourierPostOnline.com.

The grant is from the US Economic Development Administration. The township must match the federal funding to demolish the 100,000-sq.-ft. building on the site and to build new roads. In 1999, the township took possession of the 73-acre site which was formerly Meredith Farms. The owner filed for bankruptcy and faced animal cruelty charges that year after 50 tons of rotting chicken was found at the abandoned plant.

The project is expected to create 200 jobs and bring in $46 million in new investment to the business park, according to CourierPostOnline.com.