So. River council split on redevelopment issue
Motion would have declared areas in need of redevelopment
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

The effort to redevelop three areas of South River was stalled Monday when the Borough Council voted in a tie to declare the properties as being in need of redevelopment.

The Borough Council's majority in the past supported redevelopment measures, but voted 3-3 at a point in the meeting when Mayor Robert Szegeti was not present to break the tie. As a result, the measure was effectively killed.

Szegeti has been vocal in his support of the redevelopment of three separate sites - the vacant Eckerd drugstore on Main Street; the 3.3-acre Witty's Liquors site, Old Bridge Turnpike; and the old Lincoln School property, Prospect Street.

Earlier this month, Szegeti was able to break another 3-3 tie to authorize a planner to draw up a redevelopment plan and determine the best uses for the selected properties. However, he arrived at Monday's meeting after the vote.

Democratic council members JoAnne Dembinski, Richard Reichenbach and council President David Sliker voted in favor of designating the properties as areas in need of redevelopment. Republican councilmen John Krenzel and Raymond Eppinger voted against the resolution, along with Democratic Councilwoman Linda Ejk, who announced that Monday would be her last meeting as a council member because of family and work obligations.

Earlier this month, Ejk and the Republican councilmen also voted against authorizing the planning firm THP Inc. to draw up a redevelopment plan.

Sliker said Monday that the Planning Board determined that these properties met the criteria for redevelopment, noting that the council is voting on whether to concur with that determination.

Reichenbach clarified some misinformation about the redevelopment proceedings, saying the borough does not yet have an official redevelopment plan because the entire effort is still in the proposal process.

Resident Joe Manzo said he is still concerned about the proposal, despite the fact that his property has been eliminated from an original redevelopment proposal that included more homes and businesses. Manzo noted that the process can start over again with his property added back in for consideration.

"You eliminated my property so far," Manzo said, "but there is no guarantee that my property is eliminated."

Eppinger said Monday that he has several issues with designating the three remaining properties as areas in need of redevelopment.

"The first thing is that I do believe this was done out of order," Eppinger said. "We have to have approved these locations for redevelopment before it is sent to the planner."

Borough Attorney Frederick Roselli said the approval of the resolution voted on Monday would have sent the Planning Board recommendation to the redevelopment planner, who would then proceed with it.

The council is setting in motion the potential use of eminent domain, Eppinger said, adding that if the owner does not agree with what the borough proposes, the borough can use condemnation as a last resort.

Manzo asked the council what the cost of redevelopment has been so far.

Borough Chief Financial Officer Siva Sivananthan said the combined cost of redevelopment from last year and this year is approximately $47,000, and there is $15,000 left in the budget for such purposes.

Sliker noted that some of those costs went toward a separate project that calls for a study of 12 vacant and abandoned properties in the borough. Also, Sivananthan said, $2,000 was charged to the redevelopment account for the cost of printing and distributing pamphlets informing residents of the redevelopment plan.

Sliker told the Sentinel he is confident that the council will reintroduce the resolution to designate the three properties as areas in need of redevelopment.

"I am sure that at some point it will [be reintroduced]," Sliker said. "The planner was already authorized. I feel we have to have a plan put on the table in order to discuss this intelligently and see which way to go with it."

Resident Marie Frost urged the council to approve a redevelopment pay-to-play reform ordinance that was prepared by legal experts to help preserve the integrity of the redevelopment process.

"The Lincoln School is one building owned by the town," Frost said, "and [you are] declaring that it should be a redevelopment zone? Something is not quite right."

The council later voted unanimously to have Borough Attorney Thomas C. Roselli, part of the law firm of his brother Frederick, review the redevelopment pay-to-play ordinance. Frost said it would bar redevelopers from making contributions to garner rewards from the municipality.

"Under state redevelopment law, local officials [like] the mayor and council have the authority to act on eminent domain," Frost said, later adding that this model ordinance "would sever the link between redevelopment agreements and political contributors."