Township Wants to Buy Vacant Service Station

Township committee will vote Monday on an ordinance authorizing the purchase of the vacant Barone’s Service Center along the corridor at Highland Avenue, using about $350,000 of grant money left over from the township’s Route 130 reconfiguration project. 

“The plan is to remove the curb cuts, knock the building down and grass it over,” said Deputy Mayor Anthony Minniti, who is also the director of economic development.

Township committee secured grant money through the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the corridor project several years ago. Minniti said since that project came under budget, there’s some money left over.

After speaking to the township attorney and DOT, Minniti said the township received the necessary approval to acquire the property where Barone’s is.

Since gas tanks were removed in 1997 when the gas-station portion of the service center was last there, Minniti said it’s environmentally clean. However, there is grant money allocated for further remedial testing if need be, Minniti added.

“Rather than leave it vacant where it can become an attractive nuisance, we’re going to buy it and knock it down,” said Minniti. “There are no taxpayer-funds being used. It’s part of a grant where if we don’t spend it, we lose it.”

The grant money is earmarked for Route 130 improvements only.

The only proposal Minniti said the township has received for the spot in the last year was a Goodwill donation bin. That is not a permitted use in the township’s business district. Minniti said the only thing that could open there is another service station.

“The parcel is too small to support any business,” Minniti said, “so it won’t be anything but a grass jughandle infield with a solid pad for the Highland Avenue bus stop.”

Minniti said it would look like the grass median across the highway from the location.

Construction has already started on the , near the vacant Barone's.

Committee members unanimously voted at the March 5 committee meeting for the introduction of the ordinance that moves the purchase forward.

(Read a copy of the ordinance to the right.)

The second reading and public hearing of the ordinance will be held at the township’s March 19 meeting. That meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the .