Mayor Vic Deluca confirmed that owners of six buildings from 168 to 174 Maplewood Avenue, who also own the parking lot space behind their buildings, agreed to allow the sewer easements for $5,000 each. Those are the shops from Village Coffee to Arturo's.
In a related move, each owner -- as well as a seventh whose land does not affect the sewer -- agreed to extend their leasing of the parking lot space to the Township through June 2017 at a cost of $500 per property or $3,500 total.
Previously, the Township had leased the parking lot from the owners at an annual cost of $11,829 paid via a tax abatement.
The sewer easement is needed to run a new sewer line behind the shops from the post office site to Baker Street for the new post office project being built by JMF Properties. That's because Township engineers determined that the three-story post office project, which will include 20 apartments and five retail shops, would overwhelm the current Maplewood Avenue sewer line.
The Township Committee earlier this year voted to authorize Township Attorney Roger Desiderio to negotiate agreements with the building owners and at one point had considered buying the parking lot space that was appraised at about $600,000.
In the end, the lease and easement seemed a better approach, official said. But JMF is not required to cover any of the costs. Asked about this, Deluca said via email, "putting the sewer through the lots was our choice, not the developer."
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