The matter was in court again Friday, where the land owner agreed to stop work until another hearing next week.
ROBBINSVILLE -- The township council on Thursday night voted against approving a performance bond to a developer planning work on a piece of land the township wants to preserve as open space.
And on Friday, the matter was in court again, where the land owner, Washington Woods LLC, agreed to stop work until another hearing next week, Robbinsville's spokesman said.
The land in question is a 220-acre plot on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road that Robbinsville town officials have eyed for preservation, and plan to raise their open space tax rate to pay for it, pending approval from voters in November.
Town officials say the developer has proposed 50 homes on the tract. Work on the land in recent weeks have caused town officials - including Mayor Dave Fried - and residents to protest, causing a police presence twice.
The Thursday night, 5-0 vote against the bond came after a Mercer County judge earlier in the week issued an order that clarified how each side needed to proceed.
The order, from Judge Paul Innes, said the developer needed to post an $834,000 restoration bond - to allow work to start - and the township would would vote on approving it.
Innes said he would re-visit the issue Friday - which has been pushed back to Tuesday - to decide if a temporary restraining order needs to be entered against either party.
The order had caveats.
For instance, it said if the township "improperly" denies approval of the bond or tried to stop the developer from working on Friday, Innes anticipated the restraining order would be filed against Robbinsville.
Mercer County pledges $2M for Robbinsville to buy disputed land
Or, if the developer did not file appropriate documentation with the town, or the council rightfully rejects it Thursday evening, Innes could side with the township and stop the land clearing.
At the Thursday meeting, Robbinsville engineer Tim McGough, who'd been handling the matter for the town, laid out the recent events, Robbinsville spokesman John Nalbone said.
"With the action taken by the town in looking to purchase the property, why does the razing of the site continue?'' Council President Ron Witt said, as reported by Nalbone. "It's counterproductive. It is harming the environment, it has harmed the wildlife, and nobody wins, so I can't support this (bond)."
Council members Dan Schuberth, Chris Ciaccio, Sheree McGowan and Vince Calcagno - via telephone remote- also spoke in favor Fried and the township's stance against the developer and recent land clearing on the activity.
Washington Woods' attorney handling the matter did not immediately return a message left at his firm.
Earlier this week, Mercer County pledged $2 million to assist Robbinsville in buying the 220 acres in the form of grants through the county's Municipal and Non-Profit Grant Program.
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, in a statement, said the acquisition was important for Robbinsville, and geographically significant as it relates to other county lands and projects nearby.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.