Manalapan officials should seek appraisal of land eyed for possible municipal purchase

I write in response to the Manalapan Township Com-mittee's request that the Manalapan Planning Board rescind its reservation of 50 acres on The Village at Manal-apan property.

I am on the Planning Board, have some insight into this issue, and frankly, I do not understand the committee's reasoning.

First, some background. The Manalapan master plan, which sets the parameters of future development in town, has specifically identified these 50 acres as appropriate for open space or municipal use.

These 50 acres are just south of and abut land deeded by Hovnanian to the town, also for open space or municipal use. We refer to this land as the Pan-handle.

Media reports and officials' statements have blurred or confused the distinction between these two properties.

There are two: the Panhan-dle (about 13 usable acres, which the town already possesses) and the reservation area of The Village.

The reservation of this land simply provides the township the opportunity to purchase this land. This would provide the township with 63 contiguous acres of land for municipal purposes.

There are costs involved simply in reserving the land, although those costs would only actually accrue if the land is not purchased prior to final development approval, something that appears to be many months away, if not more.

The stated reasoning for the Township Committee's request was that the price was too high. The Village has stated that the 50 acres are worth over $15 million. I'm no real estate appraiser, however, common sense tells me that the 50 acres cannot be worth that much.

The Village owners bought the entire property (about 130 acres) in 2003 for about $6.7 million. The property is zoned for 500,000 square feet of commercial space, which could be built on 80 acres.

Thus, it seems to me that the primary use and value of the land will be realized in those 80 acres. What then could the remaining 50 acres which cannot be built upon be worth? Not nothing, but not more than double the purchase price for the entire tract.

It appears that the three members of the Township Com-mittee that voted to rescind the reservation were essentially saying, "We don't want to buy the 50 acres because the owners are asking too much." Of course they are. Sellers always do.

Planning boards and municipal officials are constantly being charged with not planning for the future. Two thousand residential units have been or will be constructed in close proximity to this land. The Village itself will increase congestion.

This is the perfect opportunity to "plan" before the area gets completely built out. It is right next to the 13 acres of the Pan-handle, and would make sense for municipal use, even if not now, sometime in the future.

James Wasser, the superintendent of schools of the Free-hold Regional High School Dis-trict, has expressed interest in the combined reservation area and Panhandle as a potential new high school [site]. At a minimum, it would add to desperately needed open space.

It may turn out that the 50 acres are too expensive to purchase. That is ultimately a decision for our elected officials. Yet, an informed decision cannot be made until there is a realistic appraisal.

I strongly urge the Township Committee to obtain a realistic appraisal of the value of the 50 acres before giving up on it.

Herbert Lazar

Planning Board chairman

Manalapan