Hopatcong to Auction Non-Conforming Lot

The borough will put up for auction a non-conforming borough-owned lot which contains the well of the adjacent home.

Borough Attorney John Ursin said Wednesday the adjacent lot at 2 Wabash Trail is for sale. During the sale process, the homeowner disclosed that his wellhead is actually located one to two feet inside the adjacent property.

The homeowner, through Ursin, asked the borough for an easement to  allow the new owner to maintain his well.

Councilman Michael Francis objected.

“I have not met an easement that I like,” Francis said.

Councilman Richard Bunce said the well is not the only encroachment issue with the property, citing walls and other structures that extend into the borough’s vacant lot. All are issues the new property owners would be forced to address, he said.

The council declined to place an easement on the property, which would have given the owner of 2 Wabash Trail permission to maintain the well on the borough’s property. Instead they introduced an ordinance that will offer the vacant borough-owned lot for sale by  auction, with a minimum bid of $3,700.

The second reading of the ordinance and a public hearing will be held June 2, with the auction scheduled for June 19.

Two other non-conforming, borough owned lots  are also scheduled to be auctioned on June 19, according  to separate ordinances introduced Wednesday. Public hearings on the ordinances for these  lots -- 53 Francis Avenue, with a minimum bid of $3,425, and  333 Flora Avenue, with a minimum bid of $3,700 -- will also be held June 5.

Ursin said the council should expect to see more such ordinances since they instructed him to identify for sale any undersized lots owned by the borough.