BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — Some of the more scenic open space left in the township will be preserved thanks to a deal between the township and local Elks lodge.
The township agreed in 2001 to buy a portion of property off Hardenburg Lane from the Elks BPOE 2370, with the idea of keeping the land in its natural state. But the town was happy to learn recently there is actually more land to be acquired than was previously thought.
At its meeting Monday night, the Township Council adopted an ordinance to purchase the additional acre or so of property from the Elks. The township previously entered into a contract to buy about 9 acres of land, with the provision that more land could follow. It turns out there is an extra acre, according to Township Attorney Michael Baker.
He said the contract has the town paying $60,000 per acre, with the exact amount of acreage to be determined.
The exact amount of acreage for sale at the time was 9.14 acres, according to the amended ordinance. The amount now being purchased is 10.22, and the total price for the property is $613,200.
The township will not have to foot the bill alone though, as the county is paying for 70 percent of the land, including the additional acre.
Mayor William Neary said he feels the land is something for residents to enjoy.
“It’s some of the most beautiful property in East Brunswick. It would have been very suitable for ‘McMansions,’ ” he said, referring to what could have resulted had the Elks sold the land to a developer.
He said he is glad the land will remain open.
“It’s very close to Bicentennial Park,” he said. “Now we have a lake-front property as a township.”
Councilwoman Christi Calvano told the Sentinel the land is a “beautiful piece of property to have for open space. To have an extra acre is a good thing for the town.”
Neary said the township does not have anything in mind for the property, other than to keep it as open space.
“It’s about environmental protection and open space preservation,” he said. “There’s no plan to use it for anything right now.”
If sometime in the future officials see a need, they will have the ability to use it now that the town owns it, he said.
The property, which is wooded and even has a small lagoon along the lake, is located at the end of a one-lane road that runs off Hardenburg Lane. The Elks sold the property for revenue, but will remain at its current adjacent site, Neary said.
Baker said an official ribbon-cutting may be held in the spring.