Any person who owns and resides in improved real property which is to be acquired by the Federal Government, the State, a county, municipality, or an authority or agency created by any thereof, for highway or other public purposes, may apply to the governing body of the municipality wherein such property is situated, to purchase at private sale, for residential purposes, a parcel of real property owned by the municipality not needed for public use, provided said person owned and resided in said property at the time notice was first given by any of the above of said acquisition to be made thereof.
N.J.S. § 40:60-40.7