Dumont eyes portion of D’Angelo Farms for borough hall
“Plans to acquire a portion of D’Angelo Farms through eminent domain are under review by borough officials, who are examining the 6-acre plot as the site of a new borough hall, with any remaining space dedicated to recreational use.
Dumont’s current municipal building dates to World War I and is in such disrepair that county health officials have deemed it unsafe for occupancy. Borough employees have moved into temporary offices on Madison Avenue, while the Police Department has relocated to trailers in the Borough Hall’s parking lot.
Acquiring D’Angelo Farms — the borough’s last parcel of open space — is a “good solution” even if it is still theoretical, Mayor Jim Kelly said.
“There’s just really no other space in Dumont to put a borough hall,” Kelly said. “We’re presently on one acre of land, and that’s not even enough.”
If the current municipal building were vacated, he continued, it could become a redevelopment site.
“That will help us also get our affordable housing requirements in place,” he said.
A municipality has the right under state statute to acquire private property through eminent domain “for any legitimate public use,” provided the municipality gives fair compensation, said Borough Attorney Gregg Paster.
In typical eminent domain proceedings, a municipality performs an appraisal of the property and makes an offer to the owner, Paster said. If the owner says no, the municipality asks permission in Superior Court to file “a declaration of taking” — essentially equivalent to a deed. If the court agrees, the municipality gets the title to the property.”
Pugliese, Nicholas. North Jersey.com 9 March 2015.