The owner of Futbol-Landia, the Hispanic sports bar and restaurant proposed for Early Street in Morristown, owes nearly $35,000 in back taxes and fees on the property, the largest delinquent taxpayer in town, according to municipal tax records.
The property includes Futbol-Landia at 4 Early St. and adjacent storefronts at 124 Speedwell Ave.
A total of $19,989 is owed for unpaid property taxes, plus $1,852 in interest. Unpaid sewer fees amount to another $11,187, with an additional $1,826 for interest. Throw in $100 for administrative costs, and the total comes to $34,963. (Figures are rounded off to the nearest dollar.)
Tax records list the owner as the late Evelyn Dante, a Morris Plains woman who died in 2005. Her estate is represented by Accurate Business Services, the Hackettstown company of Judy Walker.
William Walsh introduced Judy to the Morristown council last month as his landlord at Futbol-Landia. William is scheduled to appear before the council on Wednesday, June 13, to seek permission to transfer a liquor license to the Early Street establishment.
“It’ll be taken care of this week,” Judy said of the back taxes. Asked if William would assume those payments, she replied: “I haven’t discussed it with him.”
William could not be reached on Monday. His son, Michael Walsh, said he had not known about the tax situation.
“I’m sure we could help her out with that, if the town ever lets us open,” Mike said with a chuckle. “I’m not worried about that (the taxes). That’s the least of our problems.”
Records also indicate the town sold a lien on the property in 2009, for unpaid sewer fees from the prior year totaling $9,462 including interest. That lien was paid off, according to Judy.
William, a 65-year-old estate attorney doing business as Uncle Baxter LLC, has pitched Futbol-Landia as a place for Latinos to dine and watch televised soccer and boxing matches. The Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the proposal as good for the local economy.
Opponents have cited problems near other Morristown bars owned by Walsh family members, and raised questions about parking and Futbol-Landia’s proximity to Morristown High School, a block away.
Williams’ son Mike was renovating Futbol-Landia until last week, when the town ordered him to stop while it reconsiders a zoning permit issued in May.
That do-over was prompted by a redeveloper who contends a bar is a new use for the property, and does not qualify as a grandfathered nonconforming use under local zoning laws. Moreover, goes the argument by Morristown Development LLC, the proposed bar sits in the Speedwell Avenue redevelopment zone. As such, any changes to the site require an amendment to the Speedwell redevelopment plan, along with a site plan approval from the planning board.
William accused the council of deliberately stalling so the redeveloper could concoct legal “mumbo jumbo.”
We have written about the redeveloper taxes. Morristown presently receives $26,367 in taxes from properties in Phase One of the redevelopment area. The town expects to receive annual payments in lieu of taxes of $619,856 for 30 years from the redeveloper:
https://morristowngreen.com/2012/01/12/highlights-of-the-speedwell-redevelopment-plan-before-the-morristown-council/
https://morristowngreen.com/2012/01/12/its-unanimous-morristowns-council-gives-final-blessing-to-speedwell-redevelopment/
Maybe the redeveloper should worry about getting the Speedwell Redevelopment started and less about what is going on down the street. This project has been dragging on for years and years while nothing is done. GET IT GOING!!!!!!
Strange that Morristown Green is writing about some old woman’s back taxes when the Town Council could say Yes to the redeveloper not having to pay taxes for the next 30 YRS! Who is paying you? No wonder most people stopped reading this garbage years ago.
we have Irish sports bars so why not…..we have room for everyone.. we are the world, morristown….chef melody