Resolution 323-18 – which was to authorize the execution of an amendment to the Redeveloper’s Agreement between the Borough of Roselle Park and Roselle Park VP, LLC for what is commonly known as the Romerovski property – was tabled after the closed session at Thursday night’s Mayor & Council meeting.
This amendment would have officially removed AvalonBay Communities as a member of the limited liability company and replace it with Fernmoor Homes.
Roselle Park VP, LLC had filed a Builder’s Remedy lawsuit against the municipality in 2007. Two years later, the governing body at the time – which included current Mayor Carl Hokanson and current Councilman-At-Large Joseph DeIorio in reverse roles – unanimously voted to settle the matter before it went to trial. Although then-Mayor DeIorio could not vote he did publicly support the decision. One of the conditions of the settlement was that the developer had ten years to begin construction.
In May of this year, Fernmoor Homes presented their intention to develop the Romerovski property as a 218-apartment complex with 33 of them being affordable housing units (link). The original plan when AvalonBay was involved had 249 residential units with 38 of them being reserved for affordable housing (link). Although the number of total units changed the percentage for affordable housing remained at 15%.
The matter was pulled off of the consent agenda and discussed in closed session. During the 90-minute executive session, attorneys and professionals for the municipality went in and out of council chambers numerous times. At around 10 p.m., the meeting was brought back into open session and the governing body voted on the Resolution 323-18. Council unanimously voted to, according to Borough Clerk Andrew Casais, “postpone the vote subject to further advice from legal counsel until the regular meeting of November 15, 2018.”
Another major change to the agreement, in addition to the change to Fernmoor, proposes to extend the deadline to begin construction from December 31, 2018, to December 31, 2020.
A copy of the amended redeveloper’s agreement between the Borough of Roselle Park and Roselle Park VP, LLC is available below:
Download the Amended Redeveloper’s Agreement between the Borough of Roselle Park and Roselle Park VP, LLC (November 1, 2018)