North Caldwell Sets Stage for Liquor License Bidders

The North Caldwell Borough Council discussed plans to acquire two new liquor licenses for its community at its conference meeting Tuesday night.

"We need to set the stage and make acquiring a liquor license desirable," North Caldwell Administrator Mel Levine told the council.

Professional Planner Joseph Burgis prepared an estimate to rezone the Bloomfield Avenue-Elm Road area in North Caldwell – an area that could be rezoned for businesses that sell or serve alcohol. Burgis had looked at the issue 10 years ago for the community. The borough hopes rezoning could entice bidders who could pay six figures or more for a liquor license.

Levine asked the council for approval to request financing to go forward with the rezoning plan from North Caldwell's CFO Richard Mondelli. Council President Jim Campbell, who presided over the meeting in Mayor Joseph Alessi's absence, gave the green light. "We have to do this," Campbell said.

Campbell said the mayor had confirmed the borough can award two liquor licenses, one for consumption and one for distribution. As outlined in a previous , currently owns the town's only license for consumption.

To prepare for the bid process, Campbell gave council members a list of current liquor license values across New Jersey, though he noted values have dropped over the past year.

But Councilwoman Cynthia Santomauro said, "You can't compare prices. It is all about location. Towns that have more licenses available will experience depressed prices."

She added, “The less licenses you have available in a desirable town, the more your price will go up," and said a license at a shore location could fetch up to a million dollars.

Councilman John Chiaia said he knows of one business that would like to acquire a license. He suggested when the town is ready to open bidding, they start at a high price, as they could always rebid at lower prices.

In other council business, Department of Public Works Director Frank Zichelli reported the town received a $230,000 grant from the state Dept. of Transportation to repave East Greenbrook Road. "We had submitted for two roads, but this was the most critical," he said.

Zichelli said work would begin on a 2010 awarded from the state. He also said an audit for 2011 recommended replacing the boiler in the police station for an estimated cost of $28,000.

In other business, Campbell said he was concerned about the flow of information from the borough’s Board of Adjustment, "I don't want to hear about things for the first time out on the street.”

To solve this problem, Deputy Borough Clerk Nancy Pravatta said she would provide the council will all copies of variance applications and a copy of the board's meeting agenda.

Finally, Councilman Arthur Rees suggested the council establish zoning regulations for solar panels in North Caldwell. This is becoming a bigger issue because the price of solar panels has dropped and more homeowners are installing them, he said. "It is a good thing, but needs to be done appropriately," Santomauro added.