April 22, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5
Mahwah
Lone bid for vacant lots deemed nonresponsive
by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Township Council has rejected the lone bid to purchase two vacant township owned lots on Eastview Drive. The bid was made by Ramapo Valley Road residents William and Linda Dator, who own the eight lots adjacent to these two lots, which extend to the New York border. They had previously advised the township they would like to buy the two lots so they could make the driveway on their property shorter and allow a larger home to be built on their property. Before the council voted to reject the bid, Mahwah Township Attorney Terry Bottinelli explained that $45,000 was set as the minimum bid with the condition that the lots could not be further subdivided. He said one bid was received for the minimum amount, but that bidder set four conditions the township must meet before accepting the bid. Those conditions included obtaining approval from the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council which requires conformance to its master plan for the land within its jurisdiction, obtaining a building permit and a board of health permit for a septic system, and the approval of the zoning board of adjustment. “Those preconditions were not part of the bid requirement and, under the law, the bid, therefore, was not responsive,” Bottinelli said. He added that he had been informed that the Dators’ request to be exempt from the Highlands Council restrictions was denied. The two lots are vacant and contain less than the minimum size required for development under the township’s municipal zoning ordinance and they do not contain any
capital improvements. They are part of a series of small lots that extend along Eastview Drive north to the New York border. The township also owns several larger lots nearby that front on Crest Road. The lots on Eastview Drive were appraised as excess land that is no longer required for public use and not buildable. The value of the lots was established accordingly. If the bid had been accepted, the deed for the properties that would have been given to the successful bidder would have contained a restrictive covenant that would have required that the property be used only in conjunction with a contiguous property and would have prohibited any use of the property to create a newly subdivided lot. The township had sought to sell the lots because state law permits the sale of real property owned by a municipality at a private sale to the owner of a contiguous property.
The Mahwah Public Library will present “Job Search in the Age of the Internet: A Jobs Workshop” with Barbara Brandes, career counselor and executive coach, on Saturday April 25 at 2 p.m. Unemployment is reaching a rate not seen for over two decades. Over the past 20 years, some elements of the job search process have changed. Topics to be covered include: researching occupations and jobs online, preparing a resume that is computer friendly, and, if time permits, preparing a 60 second commercial. Brandes is dedicated to helping business professionals define their goals, develop career strategies, and take
Job search workshop offered at libary
actions for continued success. She currently is School of Business career advisor at Monroe College. She has been a career advisor at Yeshiva University, and director of career counseling at Sarah Lawrence. She has been a career counselor for over 15 years; a manager of counseling and training at the Bergen Workforce Center in Hackensack, and an outplacement consultant for Drake Beam Morin. The workshop is free. No tickets are necessary. The library is located at 100 Ridge Road. Call (201) 529-READ or visit the website at mahwah.bccls.org for program information.
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