Lawrence through the years
To pave the way for the construction of the proposed Macy Mall, the Lawrence Township Council passed the controversial amendments to the Township Zoning Ordinance, despite objections expressed by a capacity crowd of residents.
The most disputed section of the ordinance provided for the zoning of a 600-foot strip along the north side of Franklin Corner Road between Princeton Pike and Route 1 as “office-park zone.”
In the unanimous vote on the ordinance, which followed a two-hour public hearing, Councilmen Joseph Dalle Pazze and Lloyd Carver told the public that they personally favored the requested residential zoning, but were voting for the ordinance to make it possible to speed up the plans for the Macy Mall.
The Mall, planned for construction on 100 acres in the Bakers Basin area by R. H. Macy, Inc., was being sought by other townships in the area, said Mayor Herman Hanssler, and Lawrence ran the risk of losing the multi-million dollar regional shopping center unless it acted to implement the 1966 Master Plan. (Wednesday, April 22, 1970)
Lawrence High School students learned a good lesson about the workings of state government last Thursday. Only it wasn’t quite what the educators had intended.
Fifteen students went to visit the state capitol in Trenton, to watch the state Assembly in action.
“I was surprised just to see how relaxed those guys are,” said Ray DiCrecchio, 10 Hopatcong Drive. “You’d think they’d be interested in what was going on. Most of them were reading the paper or talking to each other, not really listening to who’s talking. They were just goofing around — I don’t know how else to put it.
“Then there were a couple fighting over how they think they should get paid — monthly or annually. We didn’t stay and finish the whole thing. I had a baseball game to get back to,” he said. (Wednesday April 23, 1975)
Eggerts Crossing Village on Johnson Road will receive “some form of tax relief,” according to an announcement made by Mayor Frank Nerwinski at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Though the exact format of the relief was not decided, the commitment to provide some relief was a firm one, said the mayor.
He said a number of alternatives were available to Council, and that township tax attorney Saul Wolfe would be directed to meet with David Friedman, attorney for the Lawrence Non-Profit Housing Association, to discuss the options.
“I’m elated,” Mr. Friedman told The Ledger. (Wednesday, April 23, 1975)
Charging developers a fee for all new construction in Lawrence is the administration’s recommendation for growth management which will be presented to Township Council next month.
The proposed “surcharge” to be placed on both residential and commercial development would allow the township to accumulate a “built in cash reserve” to offset the costs of the required off-site improvements accompanying the growth, said Township Manager George Gottuso.
A growth management plan should have been implemented before, he said, but now the situation has become such that the township cannot “subsidize large amounts of development.” (Wednesday, April 23, 1980)
The Lawrence PBA ratified its 1980 contract by a close margin, 23 to 20, Thursday approving a package that gave a 7.5-percent total increase.
In approving the contract the PBA also turned down a proposal for slicing off 2.5 percent from a 9.5-percent salary increase which would go toward the reemployment of two laid-off patrolmen and a civilian dispatcher.
The proposal was made Wednesday by Councilman Joseph Dalle Pazze who told council that the 2.5 percent amounted to $28,000 a sum which could cover the three positions. (Wednesday, April 23, 1980)
After 33 years as a junior high, the Lawrence Junior High School will be transformed into a middle school in the 1985-86 school year.
Now the school offers courses for eighth and ninth graders. In the fall the school will be open to seventh and eighth graders. Ninth graders will be attending the high school.
A new academic program is in the works for the middle school, said Thomas Davidson, school principal. The basic curriculum will remain the same but things have been added.
Under the new setup, all the students will be able to take different electives such as music, art, home economics and industrial arts. As is stands now, some of the students take electives and others do not because there is a conflict in scheduling, he said. (Tuesday, April 23, 1985)
David Copperfield made an appearance at the St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center Thursday to demonstrate magic of a different sort than his usual repertoire of illusions and tricks.
The popular magician and Julie DeJean, an occupational therapist, have combined their skills to creat Project Magic, a program which uses the skill of performing magic to help patients at centers such as St. Lawrence rebuild their motor skills and self-esteem.
“The magician and the therapist must work together if the program is to work,” emphasized Ms. DeJean during the presentation. “When we start a program, we bring in all the professionals at one time and teach the tricks to everyone.” (Tuesday, April 23, 1985)
It was standing room only at the Planning Board last week as representatives of Young Israel of Lawrenceville, an Orthodox Jewish congregation, outlined plans to convert a home into a house of worship.
About 36 people filled the North Wing Conference Room at the planners’ April 12 meeting as Young Israel Congregation President Mel Perel reviewed the congregation’s plans for the house, located on the corner of Lannigan Drive and Princeton Pike.
Several residents, including homeowners who live on Glenn Avenue, were opposed to locating the congregation in the house.
Gene Reilly, who lives on Glenn Avenue, said it would “deteriorate” the neighborhood. He suggested that if this use were allowed, then a “7-Eleven” convenience store would be next. (Tuesday, April 17, 1990)