By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
About two dozen residents have moved into the recently completed Heritage Village senior citizens rental apartment building, located on the corner of Brunswick Pike and Cherry Tree Lane.
Those residents will be joined by at least another 20 households in the next few weeks, according to Adrian Trzaskus, the community manager for the affordable housing development managed by Community Investment Strategies Inc.
A grand-opening celebration for the 64-unit Heritage Village development is planned for April 21 at 10 a.m. Several open houses already have been held so would-be residents may tour the property.
There are 52 one-bedroom apartments and 12 two-bedroom apartments. The one-bedroom units, which rent for $675, are 650 square feet. The two-bedroom units rent for $875 and are 920 square feet.
Residents are responsible for paying their own utilities — gas, electric, telephone and cable TV. The estimated cost of utilities for a one-bedroom apartment is $95 per month, and the estimated cost for a two-bedroom apartment is $120.
To make residents feel at home, photographs of Lawrence Township landmarks have been hung in the hallways in the three-story building. There is a photo of the original wood-frame Slackwood Elementary School as well as one of the Slackwood community’s adult baseball team.
Another photograph depicts Bossio’s Deli when it was known as Andy’s. There are photographs of the Port Mercer Canal House, the Marroe Inn, on Brunswick Pike — which has been demolished — and the Hill House that formerly stood on Franklin Corner Road and was disassembled and relocated to New York State.
One of the highlights of the building is the ground-floor community room, which is set up with a television. Residents may gather there to play card games or bingo or just bring a book to read.
On the second floor, there is a solarium that also has been set up as a parlor. It overlooks the corner of Brunswick Pike and Cherry Tree Lane. A fitness center is on the third floor.
Each apartment has a laundry hookup, but if a resident does not want to purchase a clothes washer and clothes dryer, he or she may use the community laundry room facilities. There are several “pay” laundry machines in each laundry room.
To be eligible to rent an apartment, the head of the household must be at least 55 years old, Mr. Trzaskus said. No one under 19 years old may live in an apartment with the senior citizen tenant, he said.
There are also income restrictions, he said. For a one-person household, the gross annual income may not exceed $29,598. A two-person household may not earn more than $33,826, and a three-person household is limited to a maximum income of $38,055. A four-person household may not earn more than $42,283.
Heritage Village is located on the site of the former Trent Motel. Lawrence Township acquired the Trent Motel site and two adjacent parcels between 2002 and 2003 for a combined $2.3 million. The township demolished the buildings, then interviewed prospective developers for the site.
The township chose Community Investment Strategies to handle the residential portion of the development, and The Eagle Group to handle the 7,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The developers purchased the land from the township for $500,000.

