The Lawrence Township Council is expected to decide whether the historic William Gulick House at 3641 Lawrenceville Road should be designated as an area in need of redevelopment at its July 21 meeting.
The Township Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Lawrence Township Municipal Building. One item on the agenda is whether the property should be designated as such, under the state Local Redevelopment and Housing Law.
The vote is not to approve a development plan, building plans, a specific developer, a redevelopment agreement or any proposed construction project on the site, which is on the corner of Lawrenceville Road (Route 206) and Province Line Road, township officials said.
The Planning Board recommended designating the William Gulick House property as a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment, following a public hearing at its April 20 meeting. The Planning Board’s findings have been passed on to the Township Council for consideration.
Wealthy farmer William Gulick built the three-story house in 1855. It was occupied by the Gulick family for many years. Its ownership changed hands many times over the years, but it has been vacant for more than 30 years.
There have been many proposals to redevelop the 6.4-acre property — including an assisted living facility – but nothing has panned out.
The William Gulick House is included in Lawrence Township’s Fourth Round Housing Plan to help the township meet its state-mandated obligation to provide its fair share of affordable housing.
Meanwhile, the property owner sued the township to allow for an inclusionary development of 110 apartments. Of those 110 units, 22 would be set aside for affordable housing. The remainder would be market-rate units.
A settlement agreement was reached between Lawrence Township and the property owner to permit redevelopment, which triggered the need for a preliminary investigation.
The preliminary investigation was performed by township planning consultants Kyle-McManus Associates. It recommended that the property should be deemed a non-condemnatoin area in need of redevleopment.
The report, which was the basis for the Planning Board’s recommendation, said the property met two of eight criteria for designation – specifically, that the building is unsafe and dilapidated, and that it compromises the safety, health and welfare of the community because of its “faulty arrangement and design.”
The foundation is cracked and deteriorating, and there are holes in the building’s walls. There are cracked, broken and missing window panes. Vines have been allowed to grow and take over the exterior of the building, leading to deterioration of the clapboard siding, according to the report.
The driveway has deteriorated to the point that it cannot be located. The lack of access from Lawrenceville Road or Province Line Road reflects a faulty arrangement and design by way of nonexistent access to the property, limiting access by police of EMS vehicles in an emergency or in the event of trespassing, the report said.
Residents pushed back at the Planning Board’s recommendation at the April 20 meeting. They said the house had been allowed to fall into disrepair, but Planning Board attorney Ed Schmierer said that unless the township had a property maintenance code, it could not force an owner to maintain the house.
Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski, who sits on the Planning Board, told the attendees at the April 20 meeting that preservation of the house would not stop development on the property.
The William Gulick House is listed on the township’s List of Historic Properties, but it is not included on the State Register of Historic Properties or the National Register of Historic Properties.
There were many discussions with the owner/developer, both with and without preserving the house, Nerwinski said. It would be too costly to preserve the house without additional housing units.
