Public Notice:
Take Notice that in accordance with N.J.S.A. 13:1D-51 through -58, the State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) will hold two public hearings to seek comments on the proposed conveyance of property in the City of Millville, Cumberland County.
The property proposed for conveyance is designated for tax purposes as Block 578, Lot 19 (comprising approximately 81 acres, hereafter “the Property.”) The NJDEP proposes to convey the Property through a direct sale to either the City of Millville (“City”), the Millville Urban Redevelopment Corporation (“MURC”), the Cumberland County Improvement Authority or any other nonprofit or public entity designated by the City. The Property was purchased by the NJDEP from the prior owner, Durand Glass Manufacturing Company, Inc. (“Durand”), in July 2013 for $335,000. The proposed sale price for the conveyance by the NJDEP to the City or its designee is $395,000. If the property is conveyed by the NJDEP to the City or its designee, it will be used for commercial/industrial purposes consistent with current zoning.
The Property is located off Gorton Road; the street address of the Property is 1 Gorton Road. It is irregularly shaped, with a maximum depth of about 2700 linear feet and a frontage of about 735 feet. The property is currently administered by the NJDEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife as part of the 474-acre Menantico Ponds Wildlife Management Area.
A copy of a report analyzing the proposed conveyance is available online at www.nj.gov/dep/greenacres/notices.html. A general location map for the Property is included as Figure 1 of the report. An aerial map of the Property is included as Figure 2 of the report.
The proposed sale price is based on three components: the $367,000 full fair market value of the Property as of January 2013 (as established by appraisals commissioned by the NJDEP as part of the purchase); approximately $13,000 in technical costs incurred by the NJDEP as part of the purchase of the Property and $15,000 for administrative costs associated with the proposed conveyance.
If the proposed conveyance of the Property is approved and the Property is sold to the City or its designee, the NJDEP intends to apply $367,000 of the sale proceeds to the purchase of a minimum of 900 acres of land within Block 582, Lot 1 in the City of Millville for addition to the Menantico Ponds Wildlife Management Area. The proposed replacement property is known locally as the Holly Farm property and is located at 3001 Main Street E in the City of Millville. The remainder of the proceeds of the sale ($28,000) will be returned to the Garden State Preservation Trust Fund (or other appropriate Green Acres bond fund) for use in future open space acquisitions. However, if the Holly Farm purchase cannot be concluded within three years of the actual conveyance of the Property, the NJDEP will identify and purchase other suitable replacement land of at least equal acreage, in fee, within Cumberland County using the $367,000 sale proceeds.
State House Commission approval is required for this proposal. If approved, the Department anticipates that the earliest the proposed conveyance could occur is mid-August 2014.
The first public hearing on the proposed conveyance of the Property will be held on:
Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 6:30 PM at the City of Millville City Hall Commission Chambers-4th floor 12 S. High Street Millville, New Jersey 08332 856-825-7000
The hearing record for the first public hearing will close on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Interested persons may obtain information from Judeth Yeany in the Green Acres Program or John Knoop at the City of Millville at the addresses below and may submit written comments to Ms. Yeany until the close of business on Wednesday, May 21, 2014.
The second public hearing will be held on:
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 2:30 PM at the Department of Environmental Protection Public Hearing Room 401 E. State Street-1st floor Trenton, New Jersey 08625
The hearing record for the second public hearing will close on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. Interested persons may obtain information from Judeth Yeany in the Green Acres Program or John Knoop at the City of Millville at the addresses below and may submit written comments to Ms. Yeany until the close of business on Friday, June 4, 2014.
Persons wishing to make oral presentations at either of the public hearings are asked to bring a written copy of their comments to the hearing for use by the Department. For further information on the proposed conveyance, please contact:
Department of Environmental Protection Judeth Piccinini Yeany, Chief Bureau of Legal Services and Stewardship New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program Mail Code 501-01 P.O. Box 420 Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420 (609) 984-0500 Judeth.Yeany@dep.state.nj.us
City of Millville
John H. Knoop III, City Engineer City of Millville City Hall 12 S. High St. P.O. Box 609 Millville, New Jersey 08332 856-825-7000, ext. 7301 JKnoop@millvillenj.gov