Second Mortgage Sale Set for Blauvelt Mansion

With a $1.9 million mortgage sale set for November on one of liens on the Blauvelt Mansion, a second sale has been scheduled a week later, this time for $699,956.06. The two sales are scheduled for Nov. 16 at 2pm at the Sheriff's Office.

Notice of the second sale was advertised by the Bergen County Sheriff's Office on behalf of the Superior Court of New Jersey Chancery Division in Wednesday's public notice section of The Record. It also comes one week following publication of the first sale's notice.

Both sales require a 20% down payment at the time of purchasing the mortgage and includes the mansion and smaller house, all of which sits on a 4-acre lot. As of September 17, 2012, there are no taxes due for the property.

"If CareOne gets the mortgages they will be able to develope the area," Paul Young said. Young has spent the past five years seeking a way to preserve the Mansion and its front lawn. "Unless CareOne is willing to sell, all we can do is get them to work within the ordinances."

CareOne had purchased the Blauvelt Mansion property in January 2011 although the property was placed in foreclosure. It has also been the subject of several lawsuits over the years as former owner Jeffrey Wells and CareOne had twice been rejected by the Zoning Board of Adjustment to construct an assisted living facility on the front lawn. Wells later took CareOne to court after the company reneged on a prior agreement to continue making $15,000 a month in mortgage payments.

"We need to have CareOne understant that we don't want the front lawn blanketed by a nursing home," Young said. "If you lose the front lawn, the museum will not stay and could possibly move to New Bridge Landing."

While the mortgage sale is a few weeks away, the Mayor and Council issued a brief online survery to gage the borough's 8,000 resident's perspectives on what should be done with the Mansion and front lawn.

At the same time, the borough Mayor and Council released a brief online survey as part of their strategic planning initiative on the possible development of the Blauvelt Mansion and/or its Front Lawn. To participate in the survey, click here.

"The property means a great deal to Oradell and we need to make a decision quickly once the survery results are in," Councilman Tony Meo said. Meo added that so far the borough has received 150 responses. The survey will close on Oct. 31. "It's general question sto get an idea of what residents want done and what direction they would like us to take."

The 10-question survey asks whether the entire property, the mansion or the front lawn should be preserved or should be respected as private property. It also seeks input on if the borough should acquire the property, what are the preferred options for funding, ie only through grants or with some taxpayer funding. 

Additional correspondences related to the borough survey should be sent to "The Oradell Mayor and Council" Attn: Blauvelt Survey, 355 Kinderkamack Rd. Oradell NJ 07649 by October 31, 2012.

The Sheriff's Office is located at 10 Main Street in Hackensack. The mortgage sales will take place at 2pm on Nov. 16.

Follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our free daily newsletter.