Township to Acquire 'Marketplace' Land

The voted to acquire a 40-acre parcel of land near the intersection of Knoll and River Roads Tuesday in hopes to use at least part of the land as a potential greenway with walking trails.

The commitee voted 4 to 1 in favor of the acquisition ordinance for the land, also known as "Marketplace," with Deputy Mayor Don Kostka voting against the measure.

The with $1.35 million in county funds. While the purchase price for the property is $1.8 million, SMK agreed to pay for the township's portion of the cost, $450,000, as a donation.

With the acquisition, the township will be preventing a developer from using the flood-prone land to create between 12 and 14 residences on the property. Some committee members felt that purchasing the property would prevent future flooding issues there and on properties on River Road. With the county funding available, the township also would not have to tap into the Open Space Trust Fund to pay for the acquisition.

"This is an opportunity for Montville Township to acquire a piece of property in a flood-prone area at no additional cost to the taxpayers," Mayor Tim Braden said.

During public hearing on the ordinance, the committee heard from several residents who were concerned about the wetlands on the property and also concerned whether the appraisal, which lead to the purchase price of $1.8 million, was accurate. Towaco resident Mike O'Brien said he was "very concerned" about the property and the price.

"I want to make sure that there isn't an exhorbitant amount of money spent on this," he said.

Committee member Scott Gallopo echoed O'Brien's concerns over the 2009 appraisal figure and said that county open space rules do not require a second appraisal. But Township Attorney Martin Murphy said the appraisal has been considered by the county.

"The county still considers the appraisal to be good for the purpose of this grant," he said.

Committee member Jim Sandham, an alternate member on the Open Space Committee, acknowledged that while no township taxpayer dollars will be spent on the acquisition, taxpayers will be indirectly paying through county tax dollars. Still, Sandham said he felt the township should take advantage of the funding while it is available. He said there could be potential recreational value in the property if the township chooses to create walking trails there, as has been discussed.

"I want to take advantage of this while it's there," he said.

Sandham also noted that the acuisition for "Marketplace" came before the Open Space Committee in 2008 and 2009 and was labeled as a top priority for open space acquisitions in the township. Committee member Deborah Nielson confirmed that acquisition of this parcel of land was a priority of the Open Space Committee's dating back to 2009 and said that she feared that if it was not acquired, the property would be developed since the appraisal indicated that it could be.

Nielson said she was concerned that if residents did live on the property, they would have no way to exit during a flooding event.

"Any development would be flooded in an island in times of storm," she said.

Some members of the public asked the committee to table to ordinance and do further research. But Braden responded that there has been several years of research on the issue and that the committee has discussed the land and its acquisition multiple times.

"We have spent more time on this issue in that back room than any other issue," said Braden.

Before voting, Kostka said he was torn on the issue.

"If it were my money coming out of my pocket, I just couldn't imagine parting with my money for this property," he said.

Braden mentioned several surrounding towns and how much land county open space dollars have helped them obtain, including 3,000 acres in Kinnelon, 5,000 acres in Rockaway, 800 acres in Denville and 460 acres in Lincoln Park. Montville has obtained 125 acres with help from the county.

"This is our opportunity to get some of your money back," he said.