Lawrence growth committee plans awards

By Lea Kahn / Staff Writer
   LAWRENCE — The originator of the Lawrence Township Growth and Redevelopment Committee’s annual awards program — as well as large and small businesses that have contributed to the township — will be honored at the annual awards breakfast next month.
   John Simone, a former member of the Growth and Redevelopment Committee who created the awards program, is slated to receive the Mayor’s Award as part of the program’s 10th anniversary at the event. It is set for Oct. 7 at 8 a.m. at the Green Acres Country Club.
   Other awards include the New Large Business Award, the New Small Business Award, the New Building or Renovation Award, the Residential Award, the Business Service Award, the Environmental Award and the Podmore/Dwyer Historic Award.
   The awards highlight businesses, individuals and civic groups that have enhanced the community through job growth, expanding the township’s tax base or by participating in local activities that benefit residents.
   The Growth and Redevelopment Committee serves as a liaison between Township Council and the business community, said Christopher Bobbitt, who chairs the committee.
   "We talk about current business initiatives from the perspective of the township," Mr. Bobbitt said. "What we would like to do is to bring different groups together, like Sustainable Lawrence, Lawrenceville Main Street and the Greater Eldridge Park Neighborhood Association."
   In its earlier days in the 1980s and 1990s, the Growth and Redevelopment Committee was focused on making the township business-friendly in order to attract new businesses, Mr. Simone said.
   Mr. Simone, who is the president of John Simone Realty, said he had a "different perspective" because he is a real estate developer. He said he understood the issues from a developer’s point of view.
   "We were coming out of a recession," he said. "Buildings were vacant and land was undeveloped. Real estate values had gone down and (the township) was not getting revenue from properties that should have been renovated or rented."
   But would-be developers often faced stumbling blocks, Mr. Simone said. It was important for all of the township departments that dealt with development "to be on the same page," he said.
   "We assisted in making the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment more aware of the difficult process in getting developers’ plans through and also getting building permits," Mr. Simone said. "We tried to make the township business-friendly, and friendly for homeowners, too."
   Mr. Simone said the annual awards ceremony was his idea. He said he thought it would be an appropriate way to recognize people for their development and redevelopment efforts, and also bring attention to the township’s efforts to be business-friendly.
   "Winning the award does give an element of prestige to the winner of each category," Mr. Simone said. "No other town does this, to the best of my knowledge."
   To register for the event, visit www.mercerchamber.org/events, or send a check made payable to Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce to 1A Quakerbridge Plaza Drive, Suite 2, Mercerville, NJ 08619. Tickets are $25 for Chamber members in advance or $30 at the door, and $35 for non-members.
   For more information on the event, which is sponsored by the Growth and Redevelopment Committee and the Lawrence Chapter of the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, please call the Chamber office at (609) 689-9960, ext. 14.