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I didn't know the chain is down, but ownership hasn't changed, so I'd be careful until the property sells. If it sells. It's a piss poor location for most anything, especially a restaurant without a liquor license. And they way the home was built is not conducive to other uses as it has living quarters upstairs without a separate entrance which would require a zoning variance and additional construction to add stairs up to the 2nd floor.PortMurrayAng wrote: ↑Wed Dec 14, 2022 10:09 amNow that willy is selling, and the chain is down, is it legal to fish the former Cliffside park access? Some may know I lived across the street and hit that water frequently. I'm curious to see how it looks after about 4 years.
No, the access easement is a permanent deed easement. It cannot be undone. But he also doesn't care about it and has flaunted as much since kicking out the anglers. And Warren County Open Space people are for unknown reasons afraid to push the issue. I don't see this property selling anytime soon. If it had a modern kitchen and a liquor license, yes. But is has neither. As far as the end of stocking, that's because someone that looks a lot like me pointed out to the Division biologist overseeing stocking that the property has been closed by the landowner to access. It will be very easy to reinstate if/once public access is restored.PortMurrayAng wrote: ↑Thu Dec 15, 2022 4:29 pmI saw some tire tracks going down the drive too. Did he officially end the easement? I remember when stocking was stopped, maybe that's my answer.
If the no trespassing signs are down (I have no idea myself), then worst that can happen is he asks you to leave and you can't come back. If they are up, he can go for defiant trespass and you would have to hire an attorney to represent you and prove or at least make him prove you entered and walked in any place other than the conservation deed easement.the royal coachman wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 6:10 pmThe owner lives nearby and I've seen him there in the past month checking on the place. I'm not sure if the no-trespassing signs are down but if they are I would give it a go. What's the worst that could happen?
I did a river restoration project at this site before we did any others back when I worked for TU. I was also involved in the purchase of the property and the conservation easement with a now no longer in NJ land trust out of PA. The original idea was to turn the building into a non-profit center with offices for yours truly and other conservation orgs in need of space. In the end, it was leased as a restaurant and WW is the 3rd restaurant since that time - all of which failed quickly.
the property owner sounds like a winnerRusty Spinner wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 11:14 amI did a river restoration project at this site before we did any others back when I worked for TU. I was also involved in the purchase of the property and the conservation easement with a now no longer in NJ land trust out of PA. The original idea was to turn the building into a non-profit center with offices for yours truly and other conservation orgs in need of space. In the end, it was leased as a restaurant and WW is the 3rd restaurant since that time - all of which failed quickly.
thank you.....PortMurrayAng wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 9:12 amOn the musky in Port Murray. WW is Willy's wieners, a now defunct hot dog joint whose demise, I'm sure, has nothing to do with its unappetizing name. The food wasn't great either.
I wasn't very clear. The current property owner bought it at auction from the land trust that had originally purchased it with other intentions for the building. It was at that time that they placed a conservation and access deeded restriction on the property. The current owner is "newer" although he has owned it for many years now. He owns other successful businesses, so this was just a flyer to see if a hot dog place would work. It didn't for a variety of reasons. I think we will see him stuck with this property for years to come unless he unloads it cheap like he bought it for. It's a bit of a mess inside. One of the early restaurants that leased from the land trust did renovations, but failed to do things like put insulation in the walls. It burns fuel oil like mad to keep warm. I do know that Willie's Weiners owner also poured a lot of money into it, but to what effectiveness I don't know. I believe no one has touched the upstairs which used to be living quarters for the original restaurant owners before they sold to the land trust to have the property preserved.Troutman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 9:56 amthe property owner sounds like a winnerRusty Spinner wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 11:14 amI did a river restoration project at this site before we did any others back when I worked for TU. I was also involved in the purchase of the property and the conservation easement with a now no longer in NJ land trust out of PA. The original idea was to turn the building into a non-profit center with offices for yours truly and other conservation orgs in need of space. In the end, it was leased as a restaurant and WW is the 3rd restaurant since that time - all of which failed quickly.
Gotcha....Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 11:27 amI wasn't very clear. The current property owner bought it at auction from the land trust that had originally purchased it with other intentions for the building. It was at that time that they placed a conservation and access deeded restriction on the property. The current owner is "newer" although he has owned it for many years now. He owns other successful businesses, so this was just a flyer to see if a hot dog place would work. It didn't for a variety of reasons. I think we will see him stuck with this property for years to come unless he unloads it cheap like he bought it for. It's a bit of a mess inside. One of the early restaurants that leased from the land trust did renovations, but failed to do things like put insulation in the walls. It burns fuel oil like mad to keep warm. I do know that Willie's Weiners owner also poured a lot of money into it, but to what effectiveness I don't know. I believe no one has touched the upstairs which used to be living quarters for the original restaurant owners before they sold to the land trust to have the property preserved.Troutman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 9:56 amthe property owner sounds like a winnerRusty Spinner wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 11:14 am
I did a river restoration project at this site before we did any others back when I worked for TU. I was also involved in the purchase of the property and the conservation easement with a now no longer in NJ land trust out of PA. The original idea was to turn the building into a non-profit center with offices for yours truly and other conservation orgs in need of space. In the end, it was leased as a restaurant and WW is the 3rd restaurant since that time - all of which failed quickly.