Town Buys Property, Ending Anti-Semitic Lawsuit

Howell Township Municipal Building (Photo by Micromedia Publications)

  HOWELL – The Howell Township council members have adopted two ordinances allowing them to purchase land on Ford Road, ending a three-year lawsuit.

  About five years ago, the township had blocked a project proposed by Congregation Kollel Inc., which wanted to build a Jewish school at 344 Ford Road. Plans included a 17,240-square-foot building with classrooms, a 19,000-square-foot dormitory and seven homes on a 10-acre tract. After it was blocked, it led to the applicant filing the lawsuit in 2018, making accusations of anti-Semitism on social media.

  According to a resolution, the agreement contains provisions for the payment of a settlement amount of $675,000 to settle the lawsuit; $125,000 of which will be paid by Howell and $550,000 of which will be paid by the township’s insurers; and an acquisition price of $8 million for the purchase of 20.19 acres on Ford Road.

  At the November 30 council meeting, Mayor Theresa Berger, Councilwoman Evelyn O’Donnell, Councilman John Bonevich and Councilwoman Pamela Richmond voted to authorize the settlement.

  All members then adopted the ordinances at the December 14 meeting, allowing them to purchase and preserve the property as open space, or use it for possible recreational purposes.

  The first ordinance authorizes the acquisition of land associated with the Congregation Kollel settlement. The second ordinance appropriates $8.1 million and authorizes the issuance of $7.62 million in bonds and notes to help finance the land acquisition.

  At the meeting, Richmond commented on the ordinance stating that open space is a positive outcome, but how they acquired it was not a good route.

  “While it is good news, we are preserving land under this proposed ordinance, how we got here and the extraordinary costs we are incurring were avoidable,” Richmond said.

  She further explained how this acquisition represents a “black mark” on Howell Township.

  “As far back as 2015, various groups strongly opposed potential development on this land, which is their right. However, for select groups their protests and opposition took a reckless, ugly and irresponsible turn when they began to make veiled, indirect and at times very direct anti-Semitic comments,” Richmond said. “That creates a dangerous climate in this community. In the case of this property, the way in which certain people behaved was flat out wrong and very disturbing.”