BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK – The Township Council last week adopted an ordinance that declares a portion of township-owned property at Rues Lane and Cranbury Road as surplus.
Part of the land, which amounts to less than an acre, will be given to Middlesex County. The rest will be sold, according to Mayor William Neary.
The area will first need Planning Board approval in order for it to be subdivided, according to the ordinance. With that approval, the land will be divided into two smaller lots, at 16,000 and 11,000 square feet.
The township will grant the larger lot to the county for use as a right of way. The smaller lot may be put out to bid, with the township requiring a purchase price of at least $60,000 for the land, according to the ordinance.
Due to the size of the smaller lot, it could not be developed, officials said. The contiguous property owner will be given the first opportunity to purchase the land, according to the ordinance. If the owner of the adjacent office building does not want to buy the lot, then it would be put out for public bid.
The land is located on a corner near a county-operated jughandle intersection. It is across the street from a CVS pharmacy.
“The only person with a any value for it would be the owner of that [adjacent] property,” said Councilman David Stahl.
Stahl said he had no idea if the owner of the adjacent property will want the land. The office building includes an accounting firm and other uses.
“We don’t want it to be part of the township’s property anymore,” Neary said. “To get it off our backs in case something happens is a good idea. It should have been part of the county’s property.”