Mayor Michael Powers gave the annual state-of-the-township talk to the Lawrence chapter of the Mercer Chamber of Commerce on April 27 at Greenacres Country Club.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
Township officials had a vision for Lawrence a vision that saw redevelopment of Brunswick Pike near the Brunswick Circle, a revitalized Main Street in the village of Lawrenceville and the preservation of open space in the rural area of the township.
It has taken more than a decade, but those visions are coming to pass, Mayor Michael Powers told the Lawrence chapter of the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast meeting last week.
Those plans do not happen overnight, said Mayor Powers, who was invited to deliver the annual "state of the township" report to the business leaders at the April 27 meeting at the Greenacres Country Club.
The Lawrenceville Main Street program is celebrating its 10th anniversary, Mayor Powers said. The commercial boulevard concept for Brunswick Pike, between Mayflower Avenue and the Brunswick Circle, was included in the township’s 1995 Master Plan. Both efforts are aimed at revitalizing the respective neighborhoods.
"Lawrenceville Main Street is our shining star," Mayor Powers said.
In the past 10 years, 46 new businesses have opened their doors in the village of Lawrenceville most of them owned and operated by women, he said. Lawrenceville Main Street launched the redevelopment effort on its own and has received very little financial support from Lawrence Township, he added.
Mayor Powers noted that while development and redevelopment efforts are under way all over Lawrence, township officials have been able to preserve 24 percent of the town’s remaining open space located mostly in northern Lawrence.
It is that open space preservation effort that has sparked redevelopment in Lawrence, he said. The redevelopment effort has been focused on the Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area, but there are other neighborhoods Eldridge Park and the area near the Trenton Farmer’s Market that are on the verge of being redeveloped, he said.
The Brunswick Pike neighborhood is "the grandfather of all redevelopment" efforts in Lawrence, Mayor Powers said. Township Council was unsure of the reception that the proposed redevelopment would receive, but residents have been "very supportive" of those efforts, he said.
"The residents were looking for a change to take place," the mayor said. "We had the Trent Motel. It was a bad situation. There were a lot of police calls (to the motel). There was strong feedback (from the neighbors) to Township Council to do something."
Township Councilman Greg Puliti suggested that the township should buy the Trent Motel, which was used by Mercer County and private groups to provide shelter for homeless families, Mayor Powers said. The township eventually acquired the motel and adjoining properties, and is turning them over to a pair of developers.
Last month, the Planning Board approved an application to construct a three-story building on the former Trent Motel site, Mayor Powers said. The new building, which township officials hope will spark redevelopment efforts on Brunswick Pike, will contain a mix of commercial and office space, plus 64 affordable senior citizen housing units.
Now, Township Council is focusing on helping the Eldridge Park neighborhood, Mayor Powers said. The township received a $30,000 state grant, which will pay for a study of Lawrence Road/Route 206 to make it more pedestrian friendly, he added.
At Lawrence’s border with Trenton, Mercer County officials are attempting to bring together municipal officials from Lawrence, Trenton and Ewing to collectively work on revitalizing the neighborhood where the borders of all three towns converge, Mayor Powers said. The neighborhood includes the Trenton Farmers Market.

