The plans for the Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area are expected to go to the Planning Board early next year. Also, speed limit will be reduced from 40 mph to 30 mph.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
Plans for a new building on the site of the former Trent Motel and a redesigned Brunswick Pike key elements of the Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area are moving forward, Township Council learned Tuesday.
The project’s developers are slated to present site plans for a mixed-use development on the former Trent Motel site on Brunswick Pike to the Planning Board in February or March, township planning consultant Philip Caton told the council.
If the Planning Board approves the application, construction on the building could begin in June or July, Mr. Caton said. The project is a joint venture by The Eagle Group and Community Investment Strategies.
Christiana Foglio, a principal in Community Investment Strategies, is arranging for financing for the project, which is expected to cost about $9 million, Mr. Caton said. It includes the purchase price of the land from Lawrence Township and construction costs, he said.
The mixed-use building would be constructed on the site of the former Trent Motel, next door to the Slackwood Presbyterian Church. The site also includes land formerly occupied by an apartment house and by the former Al Mason’s Garage. Lawrence Township purchased the three parcels in 2002 and 2003.
Redevelopment plans for the combined parcel call for the construction of a three-story building that would contain office and retail space on the first floor, and 50 affordable apartments on the second and third floors for senior citizens.
Mr. Caton also told the council that the state Department of Transportation, which controls Brunswick Pike, is proceeding with a redesign for a one-mile-long section of the road between Whitehead Road and the Brunswick Circle.
The DOT completed the concept design phase of the project and it is now seeking requests for proposals from engineering firms to prepare the final design, he said. The tentative plan calls for a four-lane boulevard two lanes in each direction divided by an 18-foot-wide landscaped median. The speed limit would be reduced from 40 mph to 30 mph, he added.
There are no plans to intrude into property owners’ front yards, Mr. Caton said. The existing sidewalks on both sides of Brunswick Pike would be replaced with new concrete sidewalks in their present configuration, he said.
Township Council members were pleased and excited that the revitalization effort is moving forward. The Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area was created in 1999 by the council in an effort to spiff up the area between Whitehead Road and the Brunswick Circle.
Mayor Pam Mount said the one-mile-long stretch of Brunswick Pike is equivalent to the Main Street in a town. There are two "vibrant" neighborhoods on either side of Brunswick Pike, and township officials want to make sure to connect them, she said of the Slackwood and Colonial Heights neighborhoods.
The national trend is moving back toward a pedestrian friendly development, Mr. Caton said. The proposed building on the former Trent Motel site is close to the street line, but it is not necessarily urban, he said.
"This is kind of turning back the clock a pedestrian-oriented Main Street," he said. "During the latter half of the 20th century, (the design) was a slave to the automobile. The trend (now) is toward neo-traditional planning," he said.
When Councilman Greg Puliti asked if the Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area would qualify to become an urban enterprise zone an idea suggested by Councilman Rick Miller Mr. Caton replied that it likely would not.
Mr. Miller, a Republican who is seeking re-election next week, proposed establishing a Brunswick Pike Enterprise Zone and to petition the state for a reduced 3 percent sales tax to lure businesses to the area. He also proposed short-term property tax abatements.
Mr. Caton said the first urban enterprise zones were created by the state Legislature in urban areas, such as Newark and Camden. The initial law created 10 urban enterprise zones, but now there are 31 cities or towns, he said.
"There are corporate tax benefits (to being located in an urban enterprise zone)," Mr. Caton said. "It’s an economic development tool. It didn’t occur to me that we would be able to qualify for it. The jobless rate has to be at least the state average. The state average is 4.8 percent, and the township’s jobless rate is 2.4 percent."
Councilman Mark Holmes said there are a few shore towns that have urban enterprise zones because they need to attract business. The shore towns are struggling because they rely on summer revenue, he said.
"From a Lawrence Township standpoint, I don’t think we have that kind of problem," said Mr. Holmes, a Democrat, who also is seeking re-election next week. "We don’t have a vacancy problem."
Mr. Miller defended the concept of creating an urban enterprise zone, noting that there are a few "long-standing" commercial vacancies on Brunswick Pike. Overall, the neighborhood is in good shape, he said.
When Mr. Miller said an urban enterprise zone would "jump-start" redevelopment, Mr. Holmes said "that’s the point" of creating the Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area.

