Municipal officials enter memorandum with Fair Haven Development Holdings to explore redevelopment of former Verizon site

Municipal officials moved to enter a memorandum of understanding with Fair Haven Development Holdings LLC on item 26, a step the staff said is intended to preserve the township's ability to negotiate and avoid a possible objection to a pending housing element and fair-share plan.

"I came back for item number 26. I just want to understand exactly what the memorandum of understanding is," public commenter Barbara Larry Seville said during the public-comment period.

A staff member replied that Fair Haven Development Holdings is the contract purchaser of the former Verizon building across from Wava, identified in township records as Block 599, Lot 51 (11 US Route 9 South). The staff member said the township has an outstanding housing element and fair-share plan before the court and that the developer's deadline to file an objection is Sunday, Aug. 31. "Fair Haven is seeking to develop that site," the staff member said, and the MOU would allow further exploration of designating the parcel as an area in need of redevelopment while contract negotiations continue.

Multiple residents asked for more detail. L. Barbudo of Petersburg asked whether a buyer had come forward; staff confirmed that Fair Haven Development Holdings LLC is under contract to purchase the property but said specifics are limited because the matter is part of ongoing contract negotiations. The staff member repeatedly cautioned that officials could not discuss negotiation details at this stage.

Several commenters raised the property's condition, noting boarded windows and deterioration at the former Verizon building and saying those factors could support a redeveloped-area designation. The staff member said the question of whether the property meets statutory blight criteria would require further review by redevelopment counsel and that the MOU is an early procedural step rather than approval of a specific plan.

After closing public comment for item 26, the chair asked for and received a motion and second to enter into the memorandum of understanding with Fair Haven Development Holdings LLC related to Block 599, Lot 51 (11 US Route 9 South). The roll call produced affirmative responses recorded on the transcript; the record provided does not identify individual members' votes by name.

Officials said the MOU is intended to avoid an immediate court dispute over the housing element while enabling additional negotiations; they emphasized that designation as an area in need of redevelopment had not been made and that further procedures and reviews would be required before any development is approved.

The meeting adjourned after the action; staff said negotiations and additional public processes would follow but gave no timetable for a formal redevelopment designation or for specific development proposals.