Set to Close Before it Opens?

The storefront at 332 S. York Road will once again be serving up pizza. For how long is dependent upon the outcome of a federal buyout that the property owner is seeking. 

The future home of – and – is one of 26 structures under consideration for a government buyout, according to Hatboro Superintendent of Public Works, Fred Zollers. 

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is a federal program that provides funding to states to help "implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration," according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Web site. 

If received, the grant would allow the borough to “acquire and demolish” the properties, said Zollers. All have sustained major flood damage during recent storms, including and .  

News of the possible buyout came as a surprise to Manja Gourmet co-owner Anastasia Sampaio, who said the eatery is set to open on April 9. 

“We just signed a five-year lease,” Sampaio told Patch.

George Kiriakidi, an owner of Horizon Property Management LLC, which owns the handful of buildings assigned to the 332 S. York Road address, told Patch that a buyout is one of several options under consideration. Another possibility that Kiriakidi said he applied for is to obtain "money to help make it water-proof."

"We threw everything against the wall," Kiriakidi said of the various options he applied for. "There's a big difference between possible and probable."

Tom Dessalet, the owner of , also located at 332 S. York Road, said the owner did not share with him the the possibility of a buyout.

Dessalet, who endured two floods in the six years he’s been open in Hatboro, said he lost four vehicles and about $50,000 in stock as a result of last year’s flood. 

“I’d like to move,” Dessalet said. “I hadn’t been looking because I just signed a three-year lease before the flood.”

Kiriakidi said there was "no reason to alarm the tenants" for something that may not happen. And, if a buyout does move to fruition, Kiriakidi said leases provide protection for the site's tenants.

"We wouldn’t be able to sell it unless we came to some kind of agreement," Kiriakidi said. "We would never do anyone dirty or sneaky. We’re all in this together."

Besides the South York Road structures, one of the other applications is for a residence on Horsham Road. , according to Zollers.

The initial incomplete application was sent to FEMA on March 9, Zollers said, to meet FEMA’s deadline. The next step, according to Zollers, is to obtain appraisals and determine a budget for the properties.

It was not clear when FEMA would make a decision about the 26 potential buyouts or when the structures, if a buyout is approved, would be demolished.