BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – In a 3-2 vote, the Township Committee has directed the Planning Board to rescind a resolution the board recently passed.
The resolution adopted in March by the Planning Board called for 50 acres of a 135-acre tract at Route 33 and Mill-hurst Road to be reserved for possible purchase by the municipality.
The 135-acre tract in question is presently the subject of a 500,000-square-foot commercial development application known as The Village at Manalapan that is before the board. The applicant is Manalapan Retail Realty Partners.
The board’s vote followed a directive from the committee to move to reserve the 50-acre slice of the total tract, which is the former Probasco farm. The tract would have been used for undetermined municipal purposes.
Now there has been an about-face on that idea.
The vote to direct the Planning Board to rescind its resolution regarding the 50-acre tract followed discussion among the members of the Township Committee at their May 10 meeting.
Committeeman Joseph Locricchio made the motion for the resolution after he blasted the idea of trying to pursue the 50 acres due to the initial fact that just exercising an option to reserve the land for future purchase would cost the township $4 million.
Locricchio said once he learned it would cost Manal-apan an additional $8 million to $11 million to exercise an option to purchase the land, he thought the venture was “irresponsible” and said making the deal had the potential to “double the tax rate.”
Committeeman Andrew Lucas said, “I always thought reserving the land was ill-advised.”
Committeeman Anthony Gennaro said he began to sour on the proposal to reserve the land once he learned that due to wetlands in the area, only 16 of the 50 acres targeted for purchase would be usable. He voted with Locricchio and Lucas to direct the Planning Board to rescind its resolution to reserve the 50-acre parcel.
Deputy Mayor Mi-chelle Roth remarked that if the township’s master plan had “even been considered, we wouldn’t even be here.”
Locricchio followed her remark with the observation that “no matter what, it still comes down to $15 million. I don’t see where the township can come up with $15 million.”
Lucas agreed, saying, “It doesn’t seem to be in the town’s best interest to [make the] purchase.”
Attorney John Giunco, who represents Manalapan Retail Realty Partners, had previously told municipal officials his client would negotiate for the sale of the 50 acres the township wanted. Giunco is scheduled to continue a discussion on the future of The Village at Manalapan project at the committee’s May 24 meeting.
Following the vote to rescind the resolution to reserve the purchase option, township engineer Greg Valesi told the members of the governing body it was “critical to maximize your usage,” referring to any land that would be part of the open space component of The Village at Manalapan project.
“Be sure you get the layout that gives you the best use of that public property,” he advised officials.
The Village at Manalapan, as it is presently designed, would only have access from Millhurst Road, with no access from Route 33.
The project includes a community shopping area with a supermarket and support stores, office space, and a lifestyle retail center that has been compared to The Grove retail center in Shrewsbury.