MANALAPAN — Township officials reaffirmed that they will purchase a 25-acre piece of property that is adjacent to the Manalapan Recreation Center, Route 522.
The decision that remains for municipal officials to make is whether to issue bonds for the purchase of the property or to pay for the purchase with money that is now sitting in the township’s open space trust fund. There is $2.6 million in the open space trust fund.
Green Acres money from the state and a grant from Monmouth County may also be used to help pay for the purchase, according to township officials.
Manalapan is buying the tract from the land’s current owner, the Providence Corporation, to settle a lawsuit the owner filed against the township concerning a zoning issue involving the property.
An ordinance that would provide for the appropriation of $1.5 million and the issuance of $1.4 million in bonds was the subject of a public hearing at the Feb. 25 meeting of the Township Committee.
Following the public hearing, Mayor Richard Klauber explained that the committee would delay a vote on the bond ordinance until the Providence Corporation provides Manalapan with a no further action letter from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Klauber said that letter will assure the township that an arsenic hot spot on the former farm property has been remediated to the state’s satisfaction. It was stated that the property owner has recently filed paperwork with the DEP seeking the no further action letter and that it could take between three and six months for the DEP to issue the letter.
The 25-acre parcel is known as the Tillis property. It lies to the west of the Manalapan Recreation Center and borders a residential development in Englishtown.
Much of the discussion during the public hearing concerned the limitations the township could face if the open space trust fund money is used to purchase the property. The purchase price is $1.5 million, according to township officials.
Klauber said if bonds are issued for the purchase the township will not face any limits on what can be constructed on the property. For example, Manalapan would be able to construct an enclosed structure, he said.
If the township buys the property with the open space funds and state Green Acres support, the township will not be permitted to construct an enclosed facility on the Tillis tract, according to the mayor.
No formal plan for the use of the land has been announced. Klauber called the parcel “a valuable piece of property for the town.”
He said, “This is a specific, unique piece of property with implications for the future of Manalapan. An opportunity was presented to us last August to purchase this and end seven years of litigation.”
One resident who spoke during the public hearing was Gloria Close. She said her research into the matter indicated that of the 25 acres on the Tillis tract, only 15 acres can be built upon. She asked the committee not to purchase the property during difficult economic times, but barring that outcome, she asked the members of the governing body to renegotiate the price with the current owner.
Klauber said the matter of the purchase price has been settled in open court.
Close responded by saying, “I don’t care if you made a verbal agreement” with the property owner, to which the mayor answered, “The court will have a different opinion.”
Close asked the committee not to buy the property “and put us further into debt. Let them build houses (there). I am not worried about 12 houses.”
Klauber said he does not want to see houses built on that property.
Resident Rhoda Chodosh asked the committee to bond for the purchase of the Tillis property “because that would be the least impact on us.”
Resident Butch Budai asked for specific information about how much the $1.4 million in bonds would cost Manalapan to repay.
Klauber said bond rates are low now, but the mayor could not provide a specific payback amount since the interest rate is not set until the bonds are sold.
Budai asked how anyone could vote on a bonding ordinance without knowing how much the interest rate would be.
George Spodak, a former mayor of Manalapan, noted that the Manalapan Recreation Center will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in the coming year and said previous municipal officials had the vision to plan for the future.
He asked the committee members to show that same vision for the future needs of the community with the Tillis tract. He suggested that the repayment of the $1.4 million in bonds would have a minimal impact on a resident’s property taxes over the life of the bond.
Resident Sandra Lippman said she would prefer to keep the property as open space and not bond for the purchase, while resident Martin Gelfond said he was in favor of bonding for the purchase.
Resident Steve Johnson said he was not in favor of bonding for the purchase and said he believes the price Manalapan officials agreed to pay for the Tillis tract is too high. He cited an example of businessman Donald Trump showing up for a closing on a property and demanding to renegotiate the price at that time.
Committeeman Andrew Lucas responded to that comment by Johnson by saying, “It would be quite dishonorable to break a signed agreement.”
“I think renegotiating is good business,” Johnson said.
Township Attorney Ron Cucchiaro said since there have not been any regulatory changes involving the property in question, and considering the fact that the township representatives and the property owner agreed to the $1.5 million price in court, he did not believe that Manalapan representatives would be able to convince the judge to reopen negotiations.
He said a court settlement of litigation is different from the example Johnson gave of Donald Trump demanding to renegotiate a private sale of property.
“I think it would be an uphill battle to tell Judge (Lawrence) Lawson that what we said last August (when the settlement was reached) is not what we want now,” Cucchiaro said.
“If you have to do it (per the court action), then you have to do it,” Johnson responded.
Contact Mark Rosman at [email protected].

