Colonia Country Club Development News

Did you miss last night's Town Council meeting? Of course, I did. So when I woke up this morning and read that the Mayor had finally been able to get approval to purchase the land development rights of the Colonia Country Club, I was pretty excited. Not 100% surprised, though, because I know the Town had been trying to figure out how to fix this situation for a while. (And - to be perfectly clear - I am really happy about it. Iselin is close enough to the Colonia Country Club to have been REALLY impacted by the traffic and school issues that would have come up if a bunch of houses had been built on the property!) I know there are a lot of sides to any story, and some people will be complaining about it and think it's a bad idea. But yes, I'm happy. And no, I'm not a member, and I don't golf. My kids do, when they have time. So anyway, here is a copy of the speech that the Mayor gave to the Town Council last night. It's a little long, but then you can make up your own mind what you think.

Mayor John E. McCormac
Colonia Country Club – Open Space
Municipal Council Meeting
Tues., Oct. 25, 2011

Thank you Council President.

We are asking your support tonight for what we think is the most important resolution to come before the Township Council certainly in the last five years… maybe even for the last several decades.

In 2008, we began discussions with the Board of Directors of the Colonia Country Club as to how we could work together to ensure that the land they used as a golf course would remain Open Space forever. The Club had experienced financial difficulties for the previous few years and was contemplating selling the course, so together we evaluated different actions that we could take to preserve the golf course as Open Space.

We recognized and evaluated the significant detriment that development of this land would have on our Township. New housing would have resulted in the need for new roads, new sewers, and very possibly a new school or at least additions to existing schools. Thousands of new residents would have caused an even greater traffic burden in an area that is already congested. The cost would have been borne not only by residents in the immediate area of Colonia but all residents of Woodbridge Township.

And, just weeks ago, Hurricane Irene proved to all of us the value of having that land remain grass and not pavement. Just around the corner is one of the worst flooding areas of Woodbridge Township - near Home Depot where the South Branch of the Rahway River crosses Route 35 into Rahway. Paving over 104 acres a fraction of a mile from that site would clearly have wreaked more havoc on our residents and businesses and hundreds of additional basements would be flooded during a major rainstorm.

After working with the Club and its membership for two years, the Club decided to sell the land and its operation to one of its members, Matt Lonuzzi, in 2010. Notwithstanding that, we maintained the goal of preserving the 104 acres of pristine land as Open Space and opened talks with Mr. Lonuzzi.

Today, after more than a year, we are pleased to announce that those talks have led to an agreement for the Township to purchase the development rights to the Colonia Country Club from Mr. Lonuzzi for $6.2 million using a $6.5 million dollar grant from the Middlesex County Open Space Trust Fund – dollars that are on deposit with the Trust… dollars that Woodbridge taxpayers have already invested in Open Space preservation. The $300,000 difference covers the costs of appraisals, engineering studies, and legal fees. There is no, and I repeat no, cost to our taxpayers for this transaction despite many assertions to the contrary.

I would like to recognize Freeholders Charlie Tomaro, Carol Barrett, and Blanquita Valenti who are here tonight for their help in securing this grant… and of course I would like to thank our very own Freeholder, Steven J. “Pete” Dalina for spearheading this effort.

It’s important to understand just how the County administers Open Space funding. The County has twice gotten approval in a referendum from county taxpayers related to the Open Space Trust Fund - once to start the fund with an assessment of 2 cents per $100 of assessed value for all county taxpayers… and again to increase the Open Space Trust Fund by a penny. The value of Open Space trusts are not disputed… State and national polls show enormous support by citizens toward the goal of preserving open space.

It’s also important to stress that money from Woodbridge Township taxpayers goes into this fund automatically… with no input from our Township government. However, it is our job to give input into how the County Open Space dollars are allocated.

And, as one of the largest contributors to the County Open Space Trust, we are obligated to get as much as possible from our taxpayers investment into the fund. We recognize that we have precious little open space to begin with, unlike towns in the southern part of the County which have thousands or acres of farmland. Therefore, we need to be creative and this transaction with the Colonia Country Club is exactly that.

Our efforts to have County Open Space dollars returned to Woodbridge is paying off… we have received funding from the Open Space Trust Fund in the last several years, including grants to purchase land on Harrell Avenue in Woodbridge, Elizabeth Avenue in Iselin, and Route 27 in Colonia - all of which was slated for development.

The handicapped accessible playground at School 28 was paid for by this Fund, as was the purchase of the 97-acre Pin Oak Forest in Avenel by the Pelzman administration. The Colonia Country Club Open Space transaction will be the largest single grant from the County Fund in Woodbridge Township history.

There is an additional public “win” with this agreement. As part of this transaction, Mr. Lonuzzi has agreed to permit public access to the Colonia Country Club all day on Tuesdays… and from 1 p.m. till closing on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Golfers, who in the past could have never played on this course, will now be able to tee-up on one of the oldest and most challenging golf courses in the State of New Jersey – right here in Woodbridge. Golfers will also have access to the clubhouse and dining facilities after play.

Mr. Lonuzzi has also indicated a desire to become much more involved with our Woodbridge Township community… the clubhouse at the Colonia Country Club and their facilities are outstanding… the Woodbridge Metro Chamber of Commerce hosts the monthly “Breakfast with the Mayor” there and the facility is perfect for weddings, christenings, bar mitzvahs, corporate golf outings and similar events.

The ownership and management of the CCC is very much in-tune with the community and stand as a good corporate citizen involved with many charitable endeavors. I have indicated to Mr. Lonuzzi that we will continue to work with and assist the CCC.

In short… the signing of this Council Resolution stands as the milestone in our efforts to preserve 104 acres of open space forever… and will save the taxpayers of Woodbridge Township millions and millions of dollars in the long run – at no cost to the taxpayer and with no dollars from the Township operating budget or County budget.

I first made a presentation to the residents of the Township on Jan. 21, 2010 at the Colonia High School. Several hundred residents packed the auditorium and agreed with our assessment of the potential severity of the situation should the CCC be sold for development. Now, nearly two years later, we have arrived at a settlement… a settlement that achieves everyone’s goal… open space preservation, an operating golf course, and no additional tax burden.

This was a long and sometimes cumbersome process. That night in Colonia nearly two years ago, we asked the residents to be patient and to invest their trust in the mission… tonight, I want to thank those Township residents who indeed remained patient and who offered support and instructive suggestions. Tonight, we are pleased to say that your trust has been rewarded.

Woodbridge Township’s 100,000 residents can rest easier knowing that the last large tract of open space in Woodbridge will remain exactly that… open space forever.

Thank you.