Officials unveil purchase plan for Trent Motel

   Almost two years to the day that the township announced plans to acquire the Trent Motel, Lawrence officials revealed that they have reached an agreement to buy the property.
By: Lea Kahn
   Township Council outlined its proposal to buy the Brunswick Pike motel Aug. 3, 1999. Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Pam Mount said the township had reached a deal with the motel owners.
   The township plans to tear down the motel and build affordable senior citizen housing in its place, as part of the Brunswick Pike Redevelopment Area. The area runs between Mayflower Avenue and the Brunswick Traffic Circle.
   Several agencies, ranging from HomeFront to the Mercer County Department of Social Services and the American Red Cross, place homeless families at the Trent Motel. It is located next to the Slackwood Presbyterian Church.
   An ordinance authorizing the township to buy the Trent Motel is expected to be placed on the agenda for Township Council’s Sept. 4 meeting.
   Municipal Manager William Guhl declined to release the purchase price, but the 45-room motel is assessed at $1.1 million, according to the Lawrence Township Tax Assessor’s Office.
   Mr. Guhl said it took two years to negotiate the sale because the owner was not interested in selling. The township did not want to condemn the property and acquire it through a court proceeding, without first fully exploring a negotiated purchase, he said.
   The idea to build affordable housing for senior citizens grew out of a series of meetings between township officials and senior citizens, Deputy Mayor Greg Puliti said. The senior citizens told the council that there is not enough affordable housing.
   Township Council and the neighbors also were concerned about some of the clientele that the motel attracts. Residents had urged the council to buy the motel.
   Township Council realized that the Trent Motel was an important acquisition for the redevelopment of the neighborhood, and decided to buy it, Mr. Puliti said.
   The township began negotiations with the owners of the Trent Motel in 1999. It took two years, but thanks to the efforts of Mr. Guhl, the municipal manager, an agreement was reached to buy the motel, said Mr. Puliti. The final details of the sale are still being finalized, he said.
   "We have come to an agreement to enter into a contract to purchase the property in mid-2002," Mr. Puliti said. "Purchasing the property in mid-2002 will give any agencies that use the facility ample time to find alternatives."
   Mayor Mount said Township Council has been working aggressively to redevelop the Brunswick Pike neighborhood. The 13-member Route 1 Redevelopment Committee was created by the council recently to guide the redevelopment efforts. Acquiring the motel is the first step in making those efforts work, she said.
   Councilman Mark Holmes said he was pleased that the township will delay closing on the motel until mid-2002, because it means the motel occupants won’t be forced out immediately. In the meantime, the township will place the social service agencies on notice that they should stop sending homeless families to the Trent Motel, he said.
   "We won’t have to worry about relocating them," Mr. Holmes said. "It gives us time to develop our plans. In the end, everyone will be happy — the neighbors, Township Council and HomeFront."
   Councilman Rick Miller agreed that acquiring the motel is a "great first step" in redeveloping the southern end of Brunswick Pike. This is the first step in making the area better for the residents and businesses, he said.
   Township officials have not decided whether the proposed senior citizen housing units will be for sale or for rent, Mayor Mount said. It has not been decided whether the units will be apartments or condominiums.
   "We will have to evaluate our needs and what will work," Mayor Mount said. "We know it is a good spot for some senior housing. It will be affordable senior citizen housing."
   At least some of the money to buy the Trent Motel property will come from the township’s affordable housing fund, said Mr. Guhl, the municipal manager. The rest would come from a bond ordinance.
   The Trent Motel property is zoned for a mix of residential and commercial uses. The amount of money that can be taken from the affordable housing fund depends on the amount of housing that will be built on the site, he said.
   The affordable housing fund has about $2 million in it, derived from developers’ contributions. Developers must pay into the fund if they are building commercial developments or if their housing subdivisions do not include units set aside for low- and moderate-income households.