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Anne-Marie Caruso, NorthJersey.com
PATERSON — The Brownstone’s owners are 15 months behind — or an estimated $136,969 in arrears — in payments to the city for a tax appeal settlement involving a small parking lot next to the banquet hall, municipal officials say.
That information was brought to light by Councilman Luis Velez, who did some research about The Brownstone’s property taxes after he recently paid the banquet hall for an overdue bill from his August 2023 wedding reception.
Albert Manzo, part of the family that owns The Brownstone, dismissed the revelations about the late tax appeal payments as “sour grapes” from Velez.
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“It’s because he got a black eye when he didn’t pay his bill,” Manzo said of the theft-of-services charges he filed in Municipal Court against Velez.
The councilman brushed aside any suggestion that he contacted a reporter about The Brownstone’s tax settlement bill in retaliation for the wedding payment theft complaint.
“The facts are the facts,” Velez said. “Nobody is above the law. I’m just disappointed that he got a break and still hasn’t come through.”
Brownstone parking assessments reduced by $1 million
At issue is a tax appeal settlement involving The Brownstone’s parking property that was approved by Velez and other members of the City Council in March 2023. The tax appeal covered the six years from 2018 through 2023.
As part of the agreement, A.M. Manzo LLC succeeded in getting the assessments on Brownstone parking properties reduced by more than $1 million per year. For 2023, that meant the Manzo corporation would have to pay taxes based on the parking area being assessed at $1.5 million instead of $2.5 million, according to the City Council.
In New Jersey, landowners who file tax appeals generally don’t have to pay any property taxes while the litigation is going on. As a result, even though The Brownstone’s parking assessment went down, the business still owed $658,368 in back taxes that accrued during the appeal process, the council resolution said.
Under the settlement, the Manzo corporation agreed to pay the city $13,605 per month to cover the back taxes, the resolution said.
Officials in the Paterson tax office said the Brownstone owners had made two larger-than-required initial payments on the settlement in May 2023 totaling $80,616. Tax officials said Manzo LLC had made no other payments on the installment plan since then.
City officials said they have not calculated exactly how much the Manzo corporation is late in paying. Sixteen months have passed since the payment plan took effect. At $13,605 per month, Manzo seemingly should have paid the city $217,685 in back taxes by now. The two lump sum payments from May 2023 leave The Brownstone about $137,000 short on its obligation.
Albert Manzo said he doesn’t handle things like tax appeals. He said he was not familiar with the details of the settlement and whether the business is current on its payment. Paterson Press asked to be referred to the person at The Brownstone who would know the details about the installment payment plan. But Manzo declined to make that person available to a reporter.
“The fact that The Brownstone is still standing after COVID is nothing short of a miracle,” Manzo said, referring to the catering hall’s shutdown during the pandemic. “The Brownstone was closed by the government. Did our tax bills stop coming? No, they did not.”
Current on tax payments for the actual banquet hall
Manzo emphasized that his company is current on all property taxes for the parcel where the actual banquet hall is. He asserted that The Brownstone — which was made nationally famous by the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” television show — is “the shining star of hospitality facilities in the town.”
“What other business do people come from far and wide to patronize in Paterson, New Jersey?” he asked.
Manzo said he grew up half a block from the banquet hall property and has never considered relocating his business, even though he said operating in Paterson sometimes makes things more difficult.
“It’s not easy being successful in this town,” Manzo said. “Unfortunately, people from the outside have their prejudices.”
Paterson Press last week sent Mayor Andre Sayegh two messages asking whether his administration is taking any steps to address the Manzo company’s lack of compliance on the payment plan. Sayegh, who attended Velez’s wedding and countless other event at The Brownstone, did not respond.
Velez ran for mayor in 2022, finishing fifth in a five-man election. The 5th Ward councilman said he plans to make another run for Paterson’s top City Hall job in 2026. He shouldn’t count on getting Manzo’s vote.
“There are a lot of people qualified to be mayor of this town,” Manzo said of Velez. “He’s not one of them.”