On September 17, 2002, in response to a request by the Planning
Board, the Borough Council adopted a resolution authorizing the Planning
Board to undertake a preliminary investigation to determine whether
five vacant and deteriorated properties within the municipality met
the statutory criteria for designation as "redevelopment areas," in
accordance with the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, P.L. 1992,
c.79 (N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-1 et seq.).
In accordance with the resolution of the Borough Council, the
Planning Board authorized its Planning Consultant to prepare a report
setting forth the basis for the investigation and including maps showing
the location of the properties, as required by statute. This report
was prepared on October 29, 2002. The Planning Board hearing on the
matter was held on November 12, 2002, after notice of the hearing
was given by certified mail to the record owners of the five properties,
well as to the mortgagee of one of the properties, and notice of the
hearing was published once a week for two consecutive weeks in the
Asbury Park Press, a newspaper of a general circulation in the municipality.
No persons appeared to testify at the hearing and the Planning Board
adopted a resolution recommending to the Borough Council that the
five properties be determined by the Borough Council to be redevelopment
areas. This resolution was duly memorialized by the Planning Board
on January 14, 2003 and was transmitted to the Borough Council.
At a meeting held on February 18, 2003 the Borough Council adopted
a resolution determining the five properties to be redevelopment areas
and directing the Planning Board to prepare a Redevelopment Plan.
In response to that directive, the Planning Board proposes this Redevelopment
Plan for adoption by ordinance by the Borough Council.
This Redevelopment Plan is intended to promote the community
objectives of maintaining the quality and viability of the existing
housing stock, eliminating conditions inimical to public health, safety
and welfare, protecting property values, restoring a prominently-located
commercial property to use, addressing an environmental problem, and
addressing the municipal affordable housing obligation in a manner
consistent with community character and economic resources.
[Ord. No. 205-1]
The Planning Board and the Borough Council identified five properties
in Ordinance No. 205 within the municipality as being in need of redevelopment
by reason of their being vacant for extended periods of time and in
various stages of deterioration. Owners had been either unable or
unwilling to either restore these properties to use or to offer them
for sale so that others might do so, thus necessitating municipal
action in order to protect public health, safety and welfare, including,
but not limited to preservation of property values.
a. The five properties so identified by Ordinance No. 205 are as follows:
Block 1, Lot 4 (9 Nurko Road); Block 2, Lot 4.01 (40 North Rochdale
Avenue); Block 4, Lot 3 (23 Pine Drive); Block 4, Lot 33 (20 South
Rochdale Avenue); and Block 12, Lot 2 (19 South Rochdale Avenue).
Of these, all but Block 2, Lot 4.01 are single family residential
properties. Block 2, Lot 4.01 is the property on which the former
automobile service station is located. This report shall address the
residential properties and the former service station property separately.
b. Ordinance No. 205-1 amended the Redevelopment Plan of the Borough
of Roosevelt to remove properties at Block 4, Lot 3 (23 Pine Drive)
and Block 4, Lot 33 (20 South Rochdale Avenue) from the list of areas
in need of redevelopment and to repeal all references in Ordinance
No. 205 to Block 4, Lot 3 (23 Pine Drive) and Block 4, Lot 33 (20
South Rochdale Avenue).
The Borough has incurred costs for the acquisition of the service
station property, including legal costs due to the foreclosure process
and many years of uncollected taxes on the property. Additional costs
will be incurred for subdivision. The Borough should apply for State
Brownfields funding to cover any cost of evaluation and remediation
of the property. To the greatest extent possible, consistent with
establishment of a use consistent with the character and needs of
the community, the Borough should seek to recover these costs on any
sale of the property for commercial purposes.
The Borough will also incur costs for the acquisition, whether
by purchase or by eminent domain, of the two existing houses that
the owners are thus far unwilling or unable to restore to habitability
or to sell. These costs will include appraisals, legal fees and purchase
prices. It is the hope and expectation of the Planning Board that
all or most of these costs can be recouped upon the sale of the houses
to person who will restore the properties to habitability.
Since all of the properties in the five redevelopment areas
are currently unoccupied, there will be no need to relocate any residents
from properties acquired by the Borough for redevelopment purposes.
Both, Block 1, Lot 4 and Block 4, Lot 3 have been sold to owners
who will rehabilitate them. Once this occurs, there will be no need
for the Borough to acquire these properties.
Block 2, Lot 4.01 (former gas station property) has already
been acquired. The only properties remaining to be acquired are, therefore,
Block 4, Lot 33 (20 South Rochdale Avenue). If the Borough does not
have sufficient funds available for the purchase of these properties,
it will have to borrow the money. Any money gained from the sale of
the gas station property might be used for this purpose.
Since the owner of Block 4, Lot 33 is, as a result of the outcome
of her court case, unlikely to be in a position to restore it at any
time in the foreseeable future, the Borough should acquire the property
and sell it to the highest bidder who will agree to rehabilitate it
in a manner acceptable to the Borough, whether through reconstruction
or through demolition and new construction, in a timely manner; provided,
however, that the Council may wish to consider giving preference to
prospective owner-occupants.
The representative of the estate that is the owner of Block
12, Lot 2 should be given an opportunity to present plans for the
rehabilitation or marketing of the property. Should he fail to present
an acceptable plan, the Borough should acquire this property as well
and sell it to the highest bidder who will agree to rehabilitate it
in a timely manner; subject, once again, to preference possibly being
given to prospective owner-occupants. Due to funding constrains, it
may be advisable not to acquire this property until such time as Block
4, Lot 33 has been sold and the money used for purchasing it has been
recouped.
By addressing the affordable housing obligation of the Borough
of Roosevelt in a manner proposed in the Redevelopment Plan, the Borough
will promote the objectives of avoiding significant adverse impact
upon County Route 571 and other local and county roads in Roosevelt
and contiguous municipalities. It will also promote the objective
of conserving water resources. Since the redevelopment plan promotes
re-use of existing improved properties, and limits new construction
to a single structure, be it a group home or an apartment building,
next to an existing house, it would be consistent with the planning
area designation of the land in Roosevelt as PA-5, Environmentally
Sensitive, in the State Development and Redevelopment Plan.