Turkey Farm Decision in 'Near Future'

By Nancy D'Uva

The subcommittee that will decide the fate of the Larison’s Turkey Farm property says they are close to making a recommendation.

“We’re looking to get a report from the committee to the council in the near future,” Mayor Bob Davis said. “It could be as soon as the next meeting on Aug. 6.”

Davis said at the July 16 meeting of the Mayor and Council that the subcommittee would meet with a representative of Walgreens the next day. Two days later, on July 18, the engineers of the project were scheduled to meet with the DEP to sort out the issue of wastewaster on the property. Members of the subcommittee were invited to attend.

Progress on the turkey farm property hit a snag at the July 2 meeting when Davis said there was a waste water problem at the site.

“The committee had a meeting, and the main focus has turned to what’s possible based on waste water,” Davis said on July 2. “That was an issue from the very beginning and right now it continues as the issue.”

Davis said on July 2 that whenever the Turkey Farm subcommittee makes a recommendation, the issue of what to do with waste becomes an obstacle.
Besides conversations with pharmacy and bank representatives, the committee has been speaking with Mitchell Berlant, a business associate of restaurant owner Frank Cretella, who handles real estate matters for Cretella. Davis had said there is an interest in putting a restaurant/catering facility on the western part of the site.

Cretella also owns the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, Liberty House in Jersey City, and Celebrate at Snug Harbor in Staten Island. Davis appointed a subcommittee on April 16 in order to speed along the decision-making process after hearing much input from the public on the fate of the turkey farm site.

The subcommittee consists of Davis, borough attorney Brian Mason, Council President Tim Iversen, Councilman Matt Finney, and planners
Frank and David Banisch.