Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • May 23, 2012 Waldwick When the Waldwick Mayor and Council decided to put up for sale a number of small parcels of land the borough owns throughout town, they were not too hopeful they’d find any buyers, since previous efforts had been unsuccessful. And they certainly never expected to have two parties interested in the same tiny landlocked lot. Yet adding to the surprise is the fact that the town doesn’t seem to own the property, and hasn’t been able to find out Sale of tiny parcel of land gets unexpected interest who does. The 800 sq. ft. lot is located in the commercial zone behind Amster’s Tavern. Both the tavern’s owner and the owner of 30 Walter Hammond Avenue have expressed interest in bidding on the property. It is assessed at $8,700. “We know that in the 1930s the property was transferred to a bank in Paterson, but we have no good grasp of when they got rid of it, and how the borough got involved,” said Borough Administrator Gary Kratz. He said that if it is ulti- In appreciation The Waldwick Chamber of Commerce presented a gift to Massage Envy owner Sol Glastein in appreciation for being the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s 5K Run/1M Walk. Pictured from left: Run Director Stan Kowalski, Massage Envy Manager Allison Faustini-Crouch, Glastein, Manager April Monte and Chamber President Christine Figlioulo. In all 466 runners and 120 walkers participated in the event, 42 percent of them Waldwick residents. The Waldwick male winner was Matt Duggan, who will be receiving the David Dunn Memorial Spirit Award. The female Waldwick winner was Kelsey Dunn. mately determined that the property is privately owned by an unknown entity, the person will start getting a tax bill. If no owner is identified, then the borough will attempt to get legal title so it can offer it for sale, either through a public auction or sealed bids, he said. The borough would set a minimum price, which would include all legal and advertising costs associated with the sale. The governing body decided in March to try to dispose of the various small lots as a means of getting them on the tax rolls and discovered the lack of clear title for the one in question. No interest has surfaced thus far for the three other pieces of property being offered, Kratz said. One is only 20 ft. wide. Borough Attorney Craig Bossong explained that if the immediate neighbors are not interested in the property, a speculator could conceivably buy the parcel and hold on to it, and try to sell it to a new neighbor at a future date at a profit. The council decided to pull two other undersized lots from the list of potential saleable parcels. One site, at Grant and Summit avenues, has been turned over to the local Girl Scouts to plant and maintain as a troop project, according to Mayor Thomas Giordano. The other property, an irregularly-shaped parcel on Harrison Avenue with 300ft. frontage, is a potential building lot if variances can be obtained. Mayor Giordano said one option would be to turn the property over to Habitat for Humanity to develop as an affordable-housing unit, the same as was done with the abandoned house at 101 Wyckoff Avenue. Councilman Frank Palladino said he would rather see the lot sold at market value than donated to Habitat. Bossong noted that it would be easier for a Habitat project to procure the needed variances because it would be considered an inherently beneficial use, which needs to meet a less restrictive burden of proof. “It’s a hard shape for a house, but it would get it back on the tax rolls,” the mayor said.