Paterson orders work stopped at Libby's Lunch
By Joe Malinconico
Paterson Press
PATERSON - City officials have issued a "stop construction notice" at the iconic Libby's Lunch building near the Great Falls, where the new owner previously said he would open a renovated restaurant before the end of this year. [2024]
.....
Paterson's community Improvements Director David Gilmore said inspectors are issuing several violations because he said work had started at Libby's without requested municipal permits. Gilmore said the fines could be as high as $8,000 per day.
..... But Sal Washah, a retired technology professor who bid $850,000 to buy the Libby's land in a city land auction in April, [2024] said the stop work order stemmed from a "miscommunication."
..... "My contractor forgot to give them the paperwork," Washah said. "It's all being taken care of."
..... The new Libby's Lunch building owner also asserted renovations. Instead, he said, his crews have been simply performing "cleanup" work prior to the renovations.
.....
The Libby's stop work dispute involves a project that Mayor Andre Sayegh has repeatedly touted as an important part of his efforts to make the Great Falls a tourist destination, which Sayegh says will revitalize Paterson. But Gilmore - despite begin a high-ranking city employee - is a staunch opponent of the mayor's and has a pending lawsuit accusing Sayegh of politician retaliation.
Hot dog joint
..... Libby's Lunch operated as a quint-essential American hot dog joint from its buildings overlooking the Passaic River for about eight decades, before Sayegh's plans for Libby's became entangled in criticism and controversy.
.....
Even some of the mayor's supporters disagreed with selling off the property, asserting that Paterson should have held on to such a potentially valuable asset at the national park.
..... The New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office sent Sayegh a letter in May [2024] telling him the Libby's land was covered by a historic places law that requires state approval before it could be sold. New Jersey's Historic Sites Council is scheduled during its October 17 [2024] meeting to have a public hearing and possibly make a decision on the Libby's sale.
..... But Sayegh already has gone ahead and signed off on selling the site to Washah. Paterson Press on Wednesday [10/02/2024] asked Sayegh in an email about the stop construction notice that Gilmore said was issued on Tuesday. [10/01/2024]
..... Sayegh did not respond. Instead, his chief of staff, Habib Kadar, issued a statement.
..... "All property owners, including landlords and contractors, must fellow the necessary permit processes to remain in compliance with local regulations," Kader said. "Failure to do so will result in citations imposed by the city. It is crucial for all parties involved to the property development to adhere to the established procedures."
..... Activist David Soo - another opponent of the mayor - had initially alerted state historic preservation officials about the impending Libby' sale