By karl vilacoba
Staff Writer
BRICK –– Negotiations between the township and the developer seeking permission to build a Home Depot on the former Foodtown property have moved ahead, leaving condemnation of the property less likely, according to Brick Business Administrator Scott MacFadden.
Contract purchaser Preit Services LLC has appeared before the Planning Board several times over recent months for approval to demolish most of the vacant Foodtown on Route 70 and build the home-improvement box store on its footprint. The latest public hearing on the matter was scheduled for Aug. 13, but never moved forward.
Officials indicated previously that the township might condemn the property before the hearing, if a deal was not reached.
The board announced to the public that the applicants requested a continuation date for Sept. 24. According to MacFadden, the applicants agreed to postpone the hearing because they were close to a deal, but can leave their options open with the continuation in case negotiations fail.
The township appraised the property at $5.75 million, but remained torn on the fair market value in the weeks leading up to the scheduled Aug. 13 hearing. On July 29, the Township Council gave Brick’s administration a final authorization to seize the approximately 11-acre tract with its powers of eminent domain.
Both township and Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (BTMUA) officials have voiced concerns that the project would harm a neighboring stretch of the Metedeconk River that is the source of the town’s drinking water. The Home Depot plan has also been contested by the Concerned Citizens of Brick, a grass-roots coalition of residents that hired an attorney to dispute the application before the board.
Brick officials hope to convert the site into a community recreation center, which they believe will be a safer neighbor to the water, once it is purchased.