The county’s endorsement of the Staton tract purchase could help the township afford the $9.5 million price tag.
Perhaps the Middlesex County Improvement Authority can finally get this done.
South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese announced last week that the county had decided to lend its negotiating muscle and bank account to help the township preserve what is the last large undeveloped parcel in Kendall Park.
The 101-acre parcel known as the Stanton tract is located across from Woodlot Park behind the Kendall Park Fire and First Aid buildings and stretches back to Little Rocky Hill. Under current zoning, about 70 houses could be built on the property, which sits at the edge of the most densely populated section of South Brunswick.
That’s one reason the parcel has been on the short list of properties eyed for preservation by the council since at least early 2002.
Its owner, Robert Stanton of New York, has expressed a willingness to sell, but there has been a catch. He has been asking $9.5 million for the property, a little too rich for the township’s blood.
Buying the land at Mr. Stanton’s asking price would leave the township’s open space trust fund near exhaustion, council members said, making it difficult to target other properties.
This has prevented the two sides from reaching a deal.
That’s where the county comes in.
The county’s Open Space and Recreation Trust Fund Grant Committee has endorsed purchase of the property and MCIA officials say that negotiations have begun.
The county would put up the lion’s share of the purchase price somewhere between $6 million and $7 million, according to the mayor with South Brunswick footing the remainder of the bill.
The council has introduced a bond ordinance that would allow it to borrow up to $3 million for the property. Adoption of the ordinance is scheduled for March. The township plans to use money from its open space trust fund to pay for the purchase, but the council is considering the bond ordinance because it will allow it to move quickly in case the county is successful in its discussions with Mr. Stanton.
We hope that is the case. As we have said on several occasions, development of this parcel will only result in more cars on an already-jammed New Road and another several hundred students in the township’s already packed schools.
The county’s involvement in negotiations hopefully will allow the township to lock up an important parcel without bankrupting its open space fund and would be good news for everyone living in the township especially residents who live west of Route 1.

