By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — The approval of a vacant properties ordinance provides township officials with a procedure for dealing with vacant, abandoned properties.
“The purpose of the ordinance is to try to give us a few more powers in terms of what we can do with abandoned properties in terms of demolition and outline the process of when demolition would occur,” Business Administrator Christopher Marion said.
The Township Council adopted the ordinance at a meeting July 11.
Marion said officials are currently compiling a list of properties that qualify under the ordinance.
“It’s still going to be a lengthy process,” Marion said. “This is giving us more tools in the box to try to address [dealing with vacant, abandoned properties] townwide.”
Zoning Officer Damien Gil had said the previous existing property maintenance ordinance did not properly guide township officials on what to do with vacant, abandoned properties.
The new ordinance establishes a procedure for the list including how the property list should be handled. That procedure includes a registration fee.
The township can take a five-year tiered approach to entice property owners and/or banks that are involved with the identified properties to give them time to respond to the township’s list, register into the program and take the necessary steps to improve the property.
Gil had said the ordinance for dealing with abandoned properties puts a procedure in place to secure the property, make sure it is safe and that hopefully it can be improved and improve the quality of the neighborhood.
Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@gmnews.com.
