As Newark under Cory Booker struggles to recover from the loss of revenues by Sharpe James' sales of city-owned properties at bargain-basement prices, I thought of Plainfield's own situation regarding city-owned lots.
On July 3rd, the Ledger noted the Newark's struggle to take back properties sold for development, but on which no homes had been built, in violation of the sales agreement.
That exposure, plus the imminent indictment of former mayor Sharpe James -- in part over the land sales -- may have played a role in one of the developers coming to the table and agreeing to pay more money for their property purchases, as reported in yesterday's Ledger.
Maria has posted elsewhere of her attempts to find out what is going on with two properties on East 9th Street that were long ago sold to Kings Temple Ministries, which agreed to develop housing on the vacant lots.
In May, Maria outlined what she knew of the situation and history regarding the lots in question and that she had written Jennifer Wenson-Meier, the director of Public Works and Urban Development, last OCTOBER, evidently without receiving a reply. In May, she wrote again, this time to Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson.
In June, Maria reported she ran into Mr. Williamson on the steps of City Hall and he told her he hadn't responded to her letter because, as she says, "he was trying to find out what Kings Temple was going to do."
The lots in question are only two of thirteen that Kings Temple bought for a total of $465.000, or an average price of $35,600 per property. One has to wonder if they have begun any construction at all, and if not, why the Robinson-Briggs administration has not made moves to either compel the construction to begin or to recover the properties.
If the City recovered the properties, Kings Temple would forfeit any monies paid the City and the City would then be able to offer the properties for sale again.
Regarding the offhandedness with which correspondence from residents is seemingly handled, am I the only one that thinks there is some high chutzpah here?
Maybe someone should start complaining to the Department of Community Affairs?
Crescent Times --
May 26, 2007: "Our Homes"Ledger --
June 16, 2007: "Update on East 9th Street Lots"
7/03/2007: "Newark tries to take back city lots sold on the cheap"
7/11/2007: "Newark ready to settle with developer"
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