Wheatsworth projectin permit dispute

HAMBURGnThe property surrounding the Gingerbread Castle on the road sharing the same name has been a blight on the countryside since a fire damaged much of the structures in 1993. A developer who bought the property and the decaying buildings on it last December wants to make the site productive again, a goal borough officials say they share. But months after beginning the approval process, the developer and town still aren’t on the same page. The property, which includes a two-story decaying warehouse, a towering concrete factory built by Thomas Edison and the historic stone mill for which Wheatsworth Road is named, was purchased last December by Grey Elephant, a company that wants to redevelop the site. The previous owner, Natex, filed for bankruptcy in June of 2003, still owing $280,000 in back taxes to the borough. At that time of the purchase, Mayor Paul Marino said that his goal was to make the area safe and put it back on the tax rolls. He also said he hoped that the property could be redeveloped. In January, Grey Elephant officials proposed demolishing most of the decaying warehouse to make way for underground parking for the mill, which would be converted to age-restricted condominiums. It also asked for approval to convert part of the old warehouse into a warehouse and a woodworking shop employing ten workers. The developer received preliminary site plan approval, but since then everything has come to a halt. The status of the project was discussed at the Sept. 19 borough council meeting, with Borough Engineer John Ruschke of Hatch, Mott, McDonald telling the council that Grey Elephant has not met the conditions of the site plan approval. Patrick Barton, a principal owner of Grey Elephant spoke during the public portion of the meeting, telling the council that Ruschke is the cause of any delays in meeting the conditions. While acknowledging that conditions haven’t been met, Barton charged, Ruschke has not specifically rejected any of Grey Elephant’s permit applications. “We are frustrated with the process and the town engineer specifically,” Barton said. “We have had permit applications submitted for more than a month.” Ruschke suggested Grey Elephant appeal any rejected applications. “In order to appeal you have to have it rejected first,” Barton responded. Until the planning board reviews the applications, he said, he can’t move ahead. After the meeting, Ruschke said, the “issue with Grey Elephant is that they have not complied with the conditions of the approved site plan. The developer is not addressing the conditions of the approval.” He said among the problems he sees are Grey Elephant’s request for some items that weren’t in the original approval. Also, he said, he has no indication that the developers have attempted to comply with N.J. Department of Environmental Protection regulations relating to oil storage tanks on the property. But Barton has asked to modify the site plan approval for the shop, promising to submit architectural plans at a later date. There have also been issues with sewerage permits. Barton said the situation is confusing. He said that future plans for the almost 16 acres are for an age-restricted development with underground parking. According to Barton, the plan is to convert the existing building that borders on the river - the “classic” building was built by Thomas Edison - into condominiums. Parking for Building A, the proposed warehouse, now is across Gingerbread Castle Road near Frank’s Castle Grill Restaurant. “We just want to get on with it,” Barton said. “We have invested a lot of money in cleaning up the outside and want to go forward. We need some cooperation from the town and the town engineer.”