County Commissioners authorize maintenance agreement for long delayed West Milford project

With a long lingering promise of a Dollar Tree store among other businesses to be part of a rehabilitation project for the shuttered Belcher’s Run shopping site at 1592 (1590-1610) Union Valley Road, people have said they are giving up on seeing the proposed project get off the ground. Meanwhile, property owner Kingwood Flex LLC of North Bergen continues to go through the many state, local and county departments for approvals that have been slowly coming through.

The latest action occurred during the past week when the Passaic County Board of Commissioners were to pass a resolution authorizing a maintenance agreement between Passaic County and Kingwood Flex LLC as required under the conditional approval of the Passaic County Planning Board. The county is involved, since the shopping center is located on a county road. The developer will be undertaking major renovations on the property and has applied to the Passaic County Planning Board for site plan approval.

Raymond Eshaghoff is listed as managing member of Kingwood Flex LLC. The county planners have required a maintenance agreement for certain issues relating to the property. According to the commissioner’s resolution, the developer agrees to be responsible for maintenance of four light poles along Union Valley Road, three of which are in-kind replacements of existing light poles, and one newly proposed pole within the right of way.

The agreement stipulates that the developer shall not assign an interest in the agreement or transfer any interest without prior written consent of the county, except that the developer without prior consent can enter into an annual repair and maintenance agreement with a private contractor for repair and maintenance of the light poles. In all other cases the developer must provide a minimum of 60 days’ notice in advance to the county prior to any assignment or transfer of intent in the agreement. The county reserves the right to deny assignment of a transfer if it is incompatible with rights given to the developer.

Earlier subjects addressed included health and safety concerns because a stream adjacent to the shopping center flows into Belcher’s Creek, taking water to Greenwood Lake and then into the North Jersey Water Supply District to provide the potable water supply for thousands of North Jersey residents. West Milford was asked to change an existing water discharge plan. According to records, the property sold for $1,320,000 in 2014 with $63,931 annual taxes paid.