A company that has leased a historic building in Midtown Elizabeth for nearly two decades might soon have to move out.
A proposed municipal ordinance states that Minuteman Grill, LLC, which entered into an agreement with the City of Elizabeth in 2002 to lease the former Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal on Julian Place, has not paid rent for several months.
Elizabeth’s municipal government is now seeking to terminate the lease with the business, claiming in addition to the lack of rent payments, Minuteman Grill, LLC has an insurance policy with inadequate coverage and that the premises have “been vacant for the majority of the time” over the last six months.
“The tenant has had ample notice of these violations and several opportunities to resolve them,” the proposed ordinance claims.
The building in question sits adjacent to Elizabeth’s main New Jersey Transit rail station and is notable for its clock tower. Once a stop on a rail line that terminated in what is now Jersey City’s Liberty State Park, the former train station has contained multiple restaurants over the years, including Michelino’s Brick Oven and Orale Mexican Bistro.
The plan to terminate Minuteman Grill, LLC’s use of the building comes just seven months after the business renewed its lease.
The proposed ordinance was passed on first reading by the Elizabeth City Council on March 10, according to a public notice from the City Clerk. The notice did not state what the building would be used for should the lease termination continue to move forward.
