Dems, mayor disagree on potential land buy Council eyes 3 acres across the street from boro's 9/11 memorial BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer Some officials want to make sure that a 3-acre lot across the street from Sayreville's 9/11 memorial remains undeveloped. With the replica twin towers in mind, the Borough Council recently introduced an ordinance to seek title and possession of the Washington Road property. The ordinance would allow the municipality to acquire the 2.98-acre site by way of purchase, gift, lease, exchange, condemnation, eminent domain or other means. Manalapan Enterprises LLC, East Brunswick, is the property owner, having bought it from Margaret Karcher for $145,000 last year. The borough will use the services of Stern & Dragoset Appraisal Group, Woodbridge, to conduct an appraisal of the site, though the ordinance states that the town will not be bound by any settlement figure, purchase price or stipulation to purchase the property. Council President Thomas Pollando said this land was one of the areas that the borough's Open Space Committee recommended for preservation. He said he would like to see it preserved in light of its proximity to the 9/11 memorial. Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien opposes the all-Democrat council's pursuit of the property. He said that while the Open Space Committee was diligent in including the site on its list of properties for consideration, it should not be a top priority. He cited the land's contours as making it unattractive for someone to develop. "I am researching how on earth this piece of property came to the top of the list, because it is contrary to all common sense," O'Brien said. Joseph Kupsch, the borough's tax assessor and chairman of the Open Space Committee, said his concern is that the borough may pay too much for the property, which he said has problems limiting its potential for development. The lot has a substantial and steep slope area that is not far from the roadway, he said. There is a small area near the neighboring chiropractic business that could support a limited-sized building, however. "They would have to put up a very expensive wall," Kupsch said, "which would knock the value [of the property] down." Borough Councilwoman Kathy Makowski said she wants to see the property preserved as open space. "Land is in demand," Makowski said. "And if it is deemed as developable in that terminology, it will be [developed]. They build houses on the side of cliffs. Anything can happen." Makowski noted that the property is zoned for business in an area of Washington Road that is prone to heavy vehicular traffic. "We are trying to keep that area less congested," Makowski said. "We have already been addressed by residents on congestion there. To add any more businesses in the area of the school … it just doesn't make sense in that area." Makowski said officials are not looking to discourage new businesses from coming in, but that there are "plenty of good locations" to build aside from this lot. "We need to be proactive in our commitment to open space," she said. Makowski noted that the Open Space Committee is looking to make land purchase recommendations to the mayor and council for review, but that any purchase would have to be affordable to the borough. The climate of the real estate market may make this an opportune time for the borough to move on the lot, as long as the appraisal is within the means of the municipality, Makowski said. O'Brien said the open space fund was not intended for properties like the one in question, which may not be able to be developed. "I think it is a very bad idea for the borough to buy this piece of property," O'Brien said. "It is economically infeasible to build there, and with all of the parcels that the Open Space Committee has identified, it should be among the last pieces in the borough to be considered. It is unbuildable, unsaleable, and it is essentially a cliff that overlooks Kennedy Park." O'Brien said the committee included the lot in its report, which recommended properties to be considered for purchase, because trees line the side of it, blocking the view of the rooftops of the buildings that make up the Lakeview apartment community. "It would be a very sad thing [to see it developed], because it is beautiful as it is," Kupsch said. Among the areas that the committee recommended for the council's consideration is the 100-plus acre property that Fulton's Landing wants to develop into a community of 200-plus homes. "The problem there was the money," Kupsch said. "We couldn't get enough to buy it outright without busting the bank." Other recommendations include a tract in the borough's Melrose section near Costa Verde Restaurant, and another piece in the area of Cheesequake Road. Kupsch added the Washington Road site now being pursued by the council should be looked at with the understanding that there is $3 million currently in the open space fund. "I think that it is a legitimate purchase of open space," Kupsch said. "My concern is the price. As far as preserving it, I think it should be [preserved]." Pollando said he disagrees with O'Brien's assertion that development of the property is impossible. "You can never say never," Pollando said. "You can never say it can't be built on." The land across from the 9/11 memorial should remain undeveloped as well, Pollando said. He expects the council to adopt the ordinance at the council's Sept. 4 meeting. "For years we talked of preserving open space," Pollando said. "We want to preserve that area. Anything can be developed. We want to make sure it stays as is. We don't want anything to be developed there."