The Redevelopment Agency at its June 29 meeting approved a resolution (Res. 24-22) awarding a $5,500 contract for appraisal services to McNerney & Associates to appraise the five Esterbrook Avenue properties slated for a 60-unit senior housing complex.  City Council awarded the Glen Rock-based firm a $30,000 contract  for appraisal services early this year.

The site currently is under private ownership which has indicated a willingness to sell it, Redevelopment Director Robert Landolfi said during a telephone interview in July. The ideal situation would be to get site control within the next two to three months, he said.

An entity named Iconic Development Partners or Iconic Estates has acquired the four lots in recent years for a combined $1.735 million. The fifth lot is a driftway owned by the city.

A redevelopment plan is in place for the purposes of applying for HOME funding from Union County, according to Landolfi. He anticipates that the developer would come before the Redevelopment Agency at one of its next meetings (the August meeting has been canceled and the agency will next meet Sept. 21).

City Council approved a resolution in June that “certified the need for age-affordable rental housing within the Esterbrook Avenue Redevelopment Area,” and in July adopted an ordinance amending the zoning district map to reflect the rezoning of the area by that redevelopment plan. The governing body designated  Ingerman Group in April as redeveloper of five Esterbrook Avenue properties.

Over the past year, the five properties have been studied and declared in need of redevelopment. The properties consist of Lots 7, 20, 21, 22, 23 within Block 151 and would have an address of 1430 Esterbrook Ave. In April, City Council designated Collingswood-based Ingerman Group as redeveloper of the Esterbrook Avenue properties, located between Central and Elm avenues.