At the latest Livingston Township Council meeting, there was lengthy discussion of redevelopment and payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT), specifically concerning a parcel at the corner of East Northfield Road and South Livingston Avenue. Put simply, a PILOT is an agreement in which a person is exempt from paying property taxes, and instead, pays a lower amount to the township.A resolution concerning the area was initially on the Council meeting agenda in August, but it was ultimately pulled after some residents complained about a lack of notice. The proposed resolution would have declared 21 and 25 East Northfield Road – known as block 2700, lots 50, 51, and 52 on the township tax maps, partially along South Livingston Avenue – as a noncondemnation area in need of redevelopment.The area has been intended to become a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development. Following several meetings of testimony with the Planning Board, the project was approved in the fall of 2020. Part of the town’s settlement with Fair Share Housing Center, it was to include more than two dozen habitable units, at least four of which would be affordable housing. The Northfield Baptist Church and adjacent buildings were torn down relatively quickly to make way for construction, but nothing has happened since.A “coming soon” sign now touts the theoretically-to-bebuilt complex as “The 545.” Signs adorn the chain link fence warning that construction is ongoing, despite the fact that what it encases has remained a vacant pile of dirt and overgrowth since the project was approved nearly two years ago.The developer has told the town that the financing he had set up for the project fell through due to increases in materials and labor costs. Residents who have spoken at meetings and commented on social media have said that they should not bear the financial burden of the developer’s poor planning. Many have noted that a sound developer would have taken into account the potential for prices to fluctuate. It should also be stated that this area only appeared to be in need of redevelopment after the developer knocked down a church and left a vacant lot in its place for what is approaching two years; it is more than fair to wonder if that type of action should be rewarded.The redevelopment resolution would be the first in several steps that would need to be taken for the property to be eligible for a PILOT,
