Lawrence Township officials have agreed to buy nearly 6 acres of land belonging to Sheft Associates Inc. at 2420 Brunswick Pike, effectively blocking a proposal to build a 123-room extended-stay hotel on the banks of Colonial Lake.
Sheft Associates, which owns the 8.8-acre parcel that holds Colonial Bowling and Entertainment at 2420 Brunswick Pike, has agreed to subdivide the parcel and sell 5.9 acres to Lawrence Township. Sheft Associates had proposed developing a three-story hotel at the edge of Colonial Lake.
The purchase price is $3.65 million, according to municipal officials. The initial payment of $2.65 million will be made this year. The remaining $1 million will be paid out over two years, $500,000 in 2019 and $500,000 in 2020.
Funding will come from several sources, including the Lawrence Township Open Space Fund and grants from the Mercer County Open Space Assistance Program, the state Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres program and the Lawrence Township Conservation Foundation. The citizens group Save Colonial Lake has pledged to raise money toward the purchase price.
The 5.9-acre lot will be added to the township-owned Colonial Lake Park, and Colonial Bowling and Entertainment will continue to operate on the smaller, subdivided lot. The action will not affect the entertainment center’s business.
The agreement calls for Lawrence Township to have the right of first refusal if Sheft Associates decides to sell the smaller lot that holds the entertainment center. This means the lot must be offered to the township before it is listed for sale.
The Colonial Bowling and Entertainment property was one of several properties recommended as potential properties for acquisition by Lawrence Township in the revised Open Space and Recreation Plan element of the Master Plan. The document was approved by the township Planning Board in August.
The proposal to build an extended-stay hotel drew opposition from neighbors in the Colonial Lakelands neighborhood, across Colonial Lake from the proposed hotel site, earlier this year. The residents advocated for the township to buy the land and preserve it, pointing to the wildlife, including a bald eagle, that has made it their home.
Stanley Sheft said he and his brothers are pleased the land will be preserved and said they are looking forward to completing the transaction in the near future. Sheft is one of the partners in Sheft Associates.
Mayor Christopher Bobbitt also was pleased with the results and praised the Sheft family “for understanding the importance of the property to our community and coming to an agreement with the township.”
“The purchase of this property and its addition to Colonial Lake Park represents the best of what Lawrence Township can accomplish by working with our citizens and various private and public organizations to preserve and enhance Colonial Lake for generations to come,” Bobbitt said.
Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski said once the township acquires the land and adds it to Colonial Lake Park, steps will be taken to make improvements to create a more park-like setting, including a picnic area.
