July 10, 2019 Middletown Planning Board Meeting - Village 35

I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but it's still important to post.

At the July 10th meeting of the Middletown Planning Board, the Board unanimously approved the Village 35 project despite the concerns of many residents that were in attendance that evening. You can read what the Asbury Park Press had to say about ... HERE

Needless to say, other than the developer, there aren't many people happy about this decision. As designed, the Village 35 center is going to be a monstrosity and eyesore for anyone living or traveling in the vicinity of highway 35 between Tindall Road and Kanes Lane and beyond.

Many of those objecting to the size and scope of this project would like to see it downsized and some kind of passive recreation included. 

There has been a long history of law suits surrounding this development and i wouldn't be too surprised if that history is extended by a couple more. 

June 5, 2019 Middletown township Planning Board Meeting - Village 35 Traffic Study

If you are interested in the Village 35 project and was curious about what was going on, here is the video from Thursday night's meeting of the Middletown Planning Board:

"The Applicant is requesting preliminary and final major subdivision and major site plan in accordance with the Circus Liquors Redevelopment Plan. The applicant is seeking site plan approval to construct seven (7) buildings totaling 342,000 square feet of commercial development.

 The Traffic Engineer for the developer presented the DOT approved plan for the access roads surrounding the commercial development of Village 35."

February 4, 2019 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

The February 4th workshop meeting of the Middletown Township Committee was uneventful and over after 30 minutes.

Here are the highlights:

• The Committee adopted a salary ordinance that provides salary increases to management and non-contractual employees and professionals.
• Ordinances were introduced to borrow funds to purchase radar equipment, repair sidewalks and increase recreation fees and reduce the time allowed to apply for refunds. These ordinances will be voted upon at the February 19 meeting.
• Resolutions were adopted to appoint a member to the Library Board and name Toll Brothers as the developer of the residential portion of the Circus Liquors Site, more commonly known at Village 35.

As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

Interesting Question, Is Middletown Being PILOT'ed ?

Over on the Facebook group, Stop Village 35, the Admin there added an interesting post yesterday asking if the town is engaging in the PILOTing of Middletown.  Until reading this post I had know idea what this alleged PILOT program entailed. 

PILOT is an anachronism for Payment In Lieu Of Taxes and is essentially a huge give away to developers in return for cash payments directly benefiting Town Hall. According to the Stop Village 35 post  95% of these payments would go to the municipality, 5% to the county and 0% would be given to the Board of Education. Which means that both Monmouth County and Middletown's Board of Education(BOE) are cut out of potential vast amounts of tax dollars that should be rightfully owed to them. For the BOE this would mean that Middletown's children and the quality of their education is at risk because of under funding and could then lead to higher school taxes being imposed to make up the difference.   

The post goes into further detail about what the PILOT program is and its potential ramifications for Middletown, if in fact this is what's happening behind the scene. It also hints at my Thursday post concerning the inflated cost of the new municipal complex that is in development.

The Stop Village 35 Facebook page is closed to the general public, you need to be a member of the group to see any of it's posts so I've copied it and have added it below for people who can't access the page to read. It really is a fascinating read and should be alarming to residents.

   

IT’S TIME TO TAKE BACK OUR TOWN. Fund the Fight, Save Middletown: http://bit.ly/Save07748
WHAT OUR TOWN OFFICIALS AREN’T SAYING: Redevelopment designation and PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) go hand-in-hand. They don’t want to talk about their possible deal with the Circus Liquors Redevelopment Developers; nor do they legally have to disclose a PILOT deal at this point.

Here’s a juicy nugget that might explain why our Township Committee gave it all away to the developer — the possibility of a PILOT program. The biggest effect of a PILOT program is how payments are disbursed: 95% to the municipality, 5% to the county, 0% to the schools. OK, this means the Board of Education loses out, the quality of our kids’ education is compromised, and our property values are screwed. Quality of education is a huge factor in property values.

Funding for the Municipal Complex, Town Hall, is rumored at $54 million to build. This is relevant to the following explanations of Areas in Need of Redevelopment, applicable PILOT programs, and revenue that is reaped by the municipality. This is complicated, but it’s important!

By designating a site an Area in Need of Redevelopment, the municipality may enter into a PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreement with the developer. Archer Law offers a clear explanation of NJ PILOT programs: http://bit.ly/PILOT_explained

“Instead of property taxes, developers make an annual PILOT payment to the municipality. The PILOT payment is typically much less than traditional taxes, and is structured so that the municipality receives more of a benefit than it would from usual property taxes. Not only do these exemptions save a developer in real estate taxes, but they provide an increase in the fair market value of the property as a result of higher net operating income.

Long-term tax abatements may last up to 30 years from the completion of a project, are typically utilized for larger redevelopment projects, and require a municipality to declare an area as being in need of redevelopment....The PILOT structure...greatly reduces the developer’s tax burden, and results in significant savings over the term of the PILOT agreement.”

Effects of PILOT programs:

PILOT programs may last as long as 30 years from completion of project, or 35 years from date agreement is signed; minimum term is 10 years.

PILOT program payments are disbursed 95% to the municipality, 5% to the county, 0% to the schools. School taxes are the greatest single portion of tax bills in Middletown. In some cases, the property may already have been paying school tax, but under PILOT, that obligation would be removed.

PILOT amounts often exceed the revenue municipalities would have received from taxes, while, at the same time, denying funding to school districts.

PILOT programs artificially depress rateable property tax base.

IT’S TIME TO TAKE BACK OUR TOWN. Fund the Fight, Save Middletown: http://bit.ly/Save07748

Heard It In The Hallways: New Middletown Municipal Complex To Cost $54M

Overlooked by myself and others at the September 17th meeting of the Middletown Township Committee, was an item with mentioning. On the Meeting Agenda for the night,  a public hearing was scheduled to take place on the proposed Township Ordinance  "2018-3236 Ordinance Adopting Amended Municipal Complex Redevelopment Plan for Block 815 Lots 1.01, 6 and 7 on the Official Tax Map of the Township of Middletown".

Laid out within the electronic copy of the agenda for the night, was the entire proposal for the planned municipal complex (which you can see by falling the link above). However, that public hearing never took place. It was postponed for a later date, which I've since learned to be the night of Nov. 19th, which is the first meeting of the Township Committee after the Nov. 6th election and 3 days before Thanksgiving. Historically, that meeting is sparsely attended and happens to be a good night to drop a bombshell that few will hear.

So why was this proposed public hearing abruptly rescheduled at the last minute you ask? Well, according to a very, very, reliable person who would have knowledge of the details, after telling residents for months that the cost of a new municipal complex, which Township authorities had estimated  to cost $20M, has ballooned upwards and potentially over $54M!

That's right, $54M. That's nearly triple the original cost estimate for the complex and Township authorities couldn't stomach presenting that information at the meeting knowing that there were going to be so many people there asking questions about the potential of a huge sports complex being built at Stevenson Park.

$54 million dollars is big chunk of change, what could possibly cost that much money to build? And why, if you read the redevelopment plan, is the Township constructing two buildings to used as some sort of retail establishments? Isn't there going to be enough empty store fronts once the proposed Village 35 retail complex is built?

One other thing that should be kept in mind and it is said quite often about financial dealing like this is, "Follow the money" and "Who will benefit" the most from this.  Well, I can tell you who. It's the Bonding agency and it's attorneys! Few people know this but the bonding attorney for the Township is none other the Middletown Republican Municipal Chairman, Peter Carton. His law firm has handle all the bonding projects that Middletown has needed financing for, for two decades. Peter Carton and his firm have gotten fat feeding from the trough of Middletown taxpayers.

As usual, the Township Committee doesn't want you to know about this stuff and are happy to bury this information until after the election, so as not to upset potential voters.

  

Letter:Middletown Residents Deserve Info Session on Redevelopment Plan

The following letter appears online at the AHHerald.com:



Dear Editor,

The narrative being spun by the Middletown Township Committee that they are unable to conduct information sessions regarding the redevelopment plan because a lawsuit was filed is false. The lawsuit filed by a citizens’ group challenges the decision by the Township Committee that the property in question fits the criteria for “an area in need of redevelopment.” That is the only issue in the lawsuit. How that issue is decided has nothing to do with the specifics of the redevelopment plan such as how many houses and how much commercial space will be built, what buffers will be in place, or what open space will be preserved. The information sessions would deal with the redevelopment plan, not the decision that the area is in need of redevelopment.

The Township Committee is spinning this false narrative to distract the public from a pre-ordained agenda to railroad through this redevelopment project with as little public participation as possible. We, the residents of Middletown, deserve better.

Michael M. DiCicco
Middletown, New Jersey

August 20, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

Last Monday night's marathon meeting of the Middletown Township Committee lasted until the wee hours of the morning. There was an overflow crowd that spilled out into the lobby and the Township Fire Marshall was there to ensure that the Court Room did not exceed the maximum number of people.

The reason for circus like atmosphere was the public hearing regarding ordinance to determine if the redevelopment plan proposed for the Village 35 property was consistent with the Township Master Plan. This was the first time that many residents were allowed to speak on the matter and many attended this meeting to voice their concerns regarding the Plan. At the end of the night, the Township Committee accepted the recommendation of the Planning Board and voted to approve this ordinance.



As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

July 16, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At this weeks Middletown Township Committee meeting, realtor Patricia Snell was appointed to fill the open seat on the Committee that was vacated by Mayor Stephanie Murray, when she suddenly resigned last month.

By appointing another member of the Township Committee, the majority of the Committee has not been elected by the residents of Middletown. Come November, there will be 3 seats up for grabs during this year's general election.

Also at this meeting:

• 7 ordinances were adopted permitting the township to borrow over $7M for various projects.
• An ordinance was introduced to accept the the plan which is now being called the Circus Liquors Redevelopment Plan, formerly know as the Shoppes, Village 35 and the Towne Centre. 

A number of residents attended this meeting to gather further information about the project, only to be told that because of pending litigation the Committee was not able to provide information.




As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

May 21, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

I'm a little late posting this (it's been a rough month so far), but really all you need to see from the May 21st meeting of the Middletown Township Committee video happened during Public Comments.

During this portion of the meeting Tricia Maguire stood in front of the Township Committee, as a concerned citizen, discuss the township's master plan for redevelopment and the impact that the Village 35 project will have on Middletown.  Ms. Maguire was berated and ridiculed for her comments by the the Township Attorney and others sitting on the dais.     

After Tricia Maguire stepped away from the podium, the next speaker took offense to how Maguire was spoken to and stated how he would never let anyone speak to his wife that way, while pointing at Brain Nelson, the Township Attorney. Our acting mayor, Stephanie Murray then chimed in, excusing Nelson's behavior by stating that Maguire's statement was politically charged and that she was running for office, which in and of itself, is reprehensible on Murray's part.

No one deserves to be spoken to from the dais that way regardless whether or not they are seeking office.  I've witnessed many times in the past, residents being disrespected by our elected (and appointed) officials on the dais, both in person and on video.  There is no excuse for it.




Other buisness included:

• An ordinance was adopted to fund preliminary expenses relating to the new municipal complex that is being planned. This ordinance appropriates $250K for this purpose.
• The other 3 ordinances that were introduced at the previous meeting, on May 7 were not brought forward for action.
• Members of the public came forward to inquire about different aspects of the Village 35 project. The Committee did not answer any direct questions due to pending litigation with this project.

As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

December 18, 2017 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

The last scheduled Township Committee meeting of the year was held this past Monday, December 18th, if you couldn't be there here is the video. Below are a few of the highlight from the meeting:

Corporal Mark Ward was promoted to Sergeant

Certificate of Recognition's were presented to:

• Grace Barker - Retiring as a Crossing Guard
• Tom Garretson - Outstanding Community Service
• HS South Girls Cross Country Team
• HS South Girls Soccer Team

A Proclamation was presented to Patrolman Ekne Montalvo for his service in Puerto Rico.

An ordinance was passed to set fees for additional garbage and recycling carts.

Resolutions that were adopted included:

• Designating the Village 35 area as an area in need of redevelopment.
• A change order for various drainage improvements. 
• Increasing the amount paid towards plumbing and maintenance contracts and the electrical repair and maintenance contracts.

Other items of discussion included:

• A townhouse on Ironwood Court, that the Township has owned for some time, was sold.
• A few members of the public questioned the Village 35 project and the process that will begin now that the Committee has declared the area in need of redevelopment.

As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

9-13-17 Planning Board Meeting

A meeting of the Middletown Planning Board was held this past Wednesday night. It was of note due to the 2 items of business that were heard, The Village 35 and the Steak & Ale properties.

The Village 35 project was back on the agenda, but the Board and the developer could not agree on the direction that testimony would go. The Board finally voted not proceed with the direction the developer wanted to go. A decision as to when the hearing would continue took another long period of time, after hearing the lamentations of the Board members about having to be subjected to the amount of testimony that would be in front of them. The hearing ended around 1:18:00 minutes into the video.

The remaining portion of the video had the developer of the former Steak & Ale property finish up their testimony for the project to construct a day care, a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru, a Mavis tire center and other retail space that they received approval for. This hearing began at 1:33:00 of the video, which was after a 15 minute break between each hearing.

h/t MiddletownOG

July 12, 2017 Middletown Planning Board Meeting - Villlage 35

There was a Planning Board meeting Wednesday night and for those following the Village 35 application, the video below contains proceedings from that hearing. If you need the short version of what happened that night Russ Zimmer from the Asbury Park Press reported that "Wegmans survives Middletown planning board meeting", for now.

The Planning Board meeting was exceptionally long and was broken down into two videos. If you'd like to know what his happening at the old Steak & Ale site that has been sitting vacant for 10+ years, that was answered in the second video that can be watched ......  HERE

December 7, 2016 Middletown NJ Planning Board Meeting - Village 35

The December 7th meeting of the Middletown Planning Board ended without testimony on the Village 35 development. The attorneys for the two Village 35 developers discussed reasons for asking for a rescheduled meeting. Testimony guidelines were also discussed with the Planning Board. Members of the Planning Board expressed the opinion that the developers are trying to delay the development of the projects they have been looking to get approval to construct.

The Asbury Park Press has further details about the meeting.