Maplewood Township will consider purchasing the property at 106 Burnett Avenue, owned by First Maplewood Baptist Church, which is currently up for auction.
The property abuts DeHart Park and is near the Maplewood Crossing apartment complex.
Township Attorney Roger Desiderio told the Township Committee members at its meeting Tuesday that there was an action brought by the property’s creditors to put it into a bankruptcy proceeding. He asked the TC if they want him to begin a negotiation.
Although he said it is a “tough timeline” as the auction is scheduled for Sept. 10, all relevant township departments have done their due diligence and inspected the property.
“I think it would be fair to say it’s in good condition overall,” said Desiderio, and just needs some “minor tweaks.”
“This is an opportunity to expand DeHart Park and our recreation footprint,” said Mayor Vic DeLuca. “Whether or not we keep the building up can be determined at a later time…but I think this is an opportunity we should at least pursue.”
Township Committeeman Jerry Ryan said while there were some “pricing issues to be worked out,” he supported the town moving forward.
The TC voted 5-0 to authorize Desiderio to proceed with negotiations.
