The city plans to acquire three parcels on the eastern end of downtown where years ago a jazz club was planned but have long been vacant.

The three parcels (Block 162, Lots 5, 6 and 7) at the corner of Irving Street and Seminary Avenue are located within the Central Business District (CBD) redevelopment area and would be purchased for $515,000.

City Council unanimously introduced legislation (O-29-19 and O-32-19) during its combined pre-conference and regular meeting Tuesday night. The first ordinance (O-29-19) authorizes the purchase of the property and the second (O-32-19) appropriates $550,000 for the acquisition. Both measures would come up for a public hearing and final approval at the Dec. 9 regular meeting.

In a brief interview after tonight’s meeting, Acting City Administrator Robert Landolfi described the acquisition as a business decision given the prominent location and size within the downtown redevelopment area and the fact that it was for sale, adding that the appraised value was reasonable. There are no immediate plans in the works for the property but Landolfi said he expects concepts to begin moving forward. “The vision we see is to make the arts center a centerpiece of downtown there,” he said.

The three lots are adjacent to six properties that recently were included in a plan for redevelopment, including the former St. Mark’s Church. Combined, the three lots to be acquired currently generate a property tax bill of about $13,000 based on tax assessments of $183,700.

The parcels need to be bundled with other properties as part of a comprehensive development to ensure the long-term success of the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC), which is seeing increasing competition from other venues in the area, according to Mayor Raymond Giacobbe, Jr.

It’s been more than 12 years since the Planning Board granted approval for a jazz club with second-floor apartments on the site that never panned out (heck, it’s been a half-decade since I suggested a public crowdsourcing effort to commission a mural until the site is developed). Prior to that, the property was home to Kelly’s Pub. The Redevelopment Agency in 2012 lifted a restriction on the property that required it to be developed specifically as a jazz club after the project ran into problems. The property changed hands in 2016 when it was acquired by its current owner, Lela’s 4 LLC.