MARGATE – The Board of Commissioners Thursday authorized Mayor Michael Collins to complete the purchase of the Liberty gas station at 7901 Ventnor Ave. with a vote of 2-1. Commissioner Maury Blumberg voted against the authorization.
The resolution authorizes the mayor and city attorney John Scott Abbott to complete the deal on March 14. The resolution authorized the city to pay for the cost of an investigation into a suspected underground storage tank beneath the concrete at the southwest corner of the property. Spark Contractors removed the concrete and conducted the investigation at a cost of $8,727.50 but found no storage tank or any other environmental issues. Exxon Mobil Corp. will be required to remove two previously abandoned underground storage tanks and continue remediation of the site as required under NJ Department of Environmental Protection regulations.
Taylor has also agreed to place $300,000 from the proceeds of the sale into an escrow account to complete the removal of storage tanks should Exxon Mobil fail to perform according to the Site Access and Release Agreement.
A previous investigation conducted by city engineers at Remington & Vernick found “nothing unexpected” in its 2,700-page Phase I Environmental Report. The two remaining tanks that have been properly deactivated are partially located under the garage building and will be removed when the building is demolished.
On July 18, 2024, the board approved a $3 million bond to purchase the lot and develop it into a 30-spot parking lot following an hour-long public comment period. Some residents agreed more parking is needed in commercial districts to address parking congestion in adjacent residential areas, while others said spending $3 million to create off-street parking was excessive.
Blumberg was able to obtain concessions to incorporate a park-like setting in the design of the parking lot, including trees and park benches, which reduced the number of spaces from 30 to 18.
“Thirty spots and what I view as an asphalt jungle for three weekends out of the year, is a significant amount of money to spend,” Blumberg said when the purchase was first discussed last June.
Collins said the purchase is part of a strategic plan to have public parking lots located in the north and south business districts with trolley service, perhaps an electric vehicle, shuttling shoppers in between.
The city applied for but was denied an economic development grant to cover $1 million of the cost.
City engineer Ed Dennis Jr. previously said barring any unforeseen issues, the parking lot could be completed within three months of settlement.
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