Twp. moves to preserve 22 acres of open space
Closing expected this week on property bought from housing authority
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

EDISON - The township recently closed on a deal preserving 22 acres of open space purchased from the Edison Housing Authority.

The property, composed of two separate tracts of land along Inman Avenue, was originally slated to be developed by the housing authority.

According to Township Council President Charles Tomaro, who had been the council's liaison to the housing authority, the process began five years ago when the township inquired about preserving the first 17-acre property. The housing authority, he said, was interested in selling the property to the township, but the negotiations fell through and the property remained in the housing authority's hands.

The housing authority suggested a land swap to build low-income, age-restricted residential units, but that negotiation also fell through.

"It just wasn't feasible at the time," Tomaro said.

Tomaro said that two years ago, the housing authority decided to try to sell the property but gave the township the right of first refusal on the property before it would be sold to a developer.

The original bids came in around $400,000 for the property, but due to an advertising snafu, the bid was not properly advertised and the process had to start all over again. The second time the bids came in, a developer offered $1.2 million for the property, significantly raising the bar for the township to purchase the property.

At the time, Tomaro said, the township was willing to pay $800,000 to preserve the 17 acres, but the township asked the housing authority to throw in the other 5-acre property and would pay the $1 million price tag.

"We're buying the 22 acres for $1 million because we were able to negotiate that with the housing authority," Tomaro said.

Councilman Salvatore Pizzi, the current liaison to the housing authority, said that the preservation of the 22 acres is "one of the good things we're trying to do," and as liaison he wanted to make sure the transition between the township and the housing authority went smoothly.

Tomaro said that nearly $240,000 of the $1 million price tag would come from a New Jersey Conservation Foundation grant. He said the grant came in $10,000 short of what the township was hoping for and the council would take the final $10,000 from the township's open space fund at the next council meeting.

The housing authority agreed to close with the promise of the final $10,000 to come soon.

"When they close, it will close being $10,000 short," Pizzi said, "with the understanding that we are going to pass the ordinance which we introduced."

Pizzi said the housing authority was eager to close with the township.