April 24, 2003

By Jim O'Neill

Star-Ledger Staff

joneill@starledger.com  or 732-249-5670

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Perth Amboy officials yesterday agreed to pay close to the asking price to condemn and demolish a popular pizzeria, removing the last stumbling block to a $600 million plan to rebuild the city's waterfront.

Under the agreement, the city will pay $775,000 for Sciortino's Pizzeria. In exchange, the owners of the family business agreed to shut down and move out by July 31.

The agreement put an end to the long-simmering dispute over the value of the property and ended the possibility of a court battle for the land.

Mayor Joseph Vas said acquiring the pizzeria was "absolutely critical" in the city's efforts to move ahead with the massive Landings at Harborside, the $600 million housing and waterfront renovation that promises to change Perth Amboy from a rusted industrial center to a glittering gem on Raritan Bay.

"This is really the last big hurdle we have to overcome," the mayor said. "We're certainly very happy to move forward and we're obviously disappointed that it's taken so long to settle this. We felt all along* that this (condemnation) was in the best interest of all the citizens of Perth Amboy."

Owners of the pizzeria were not as happy, saying the city offer would not cover the costs of starting the business elsewhere. But they conceded it was the best they could hope for, even if they had continued their court battle.

"This is a viable family business that's been here for four generations and wanted to stay and wanted to be part of the community," said Sheri Seminski, whose father co-owns the restaurant. "There are a lot of unique things here. It's a really special place. It hurts your heart to think what's going to happen.

The family battled to save the establishment, a popular place where it was not uncommon for customers to wait in line for pizza made from a coal-fired brick oven.

The pizzeria is one of 19 properties on New Brunswick and Ogden Place the city plans to tear down to build a $51.6 million public safety complex that will include a police station, firehouse, rescue squad, courthouse and recreation center.

Once the new complex is built, police and fire officials can move from their old quarters, making room for construction of a major phase of the Landings at Harborside project.

The mayor said he expects demolition at the block that included the pizzeria to begin in 90 days, with the wrecking ball poised to hit Sciortino's about as quickly as the family clears out.

He said the new public safety complex should be built and occupied by July or August of next year.

"The public safety center and the recreation center are essential to the well-being of the people of the city of Perth Amboy," the mayor said.

The agreement with the pizzeria was reached after more than two hours of talks between Valerie Bollheimer, an attorney representing the restaurant, and Alberto Rivas, the city attorney. The two sides were brought to the table by Superior Court Assignment Judge Robert Longhi, who hammered out the agreement before a hearing was set to begin.

The two sides had bickered over the value of the land and the willingness of their opponent to negotiate fairly.

Months ago, the city had offered $412,000 for the property, but the restaurant's appraiser said the parcel was worth $800,000, according to court documents.

Lou Seminski, Sr., a restaurant co-owner, said the family hopes to relocate the business, but the cost may be much higher than the city was willing to pay. Dismantling and rebuilding the coal-fired pizza oven would cost $600,000 or more, he said. The family has been searching for a new location.

In the end, the family settled, realizing they would not do much better taking their case to a jury.

Condemnation laws in New Jersey allow for compensation for property, but not the value of a business, which, Seminski said, is worth three times as much as the city offer.

"We had to accept the offer they made today; not that we wanted to," he said. "We probably couldn't get a better deal than we got today."

Jim O'Neill covers the Middlesex County Courthouse.

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