Update: Ordinances approving the purchase and allocating the money for the purchase were approved on final reading Feb. 14 by the Township Council. Original Story: The township will pay about $14 million to buy the Consolata Missionaries property on Route 27. The Township Council introduced ordinances to further the purchase at its Jan. 24 meeting. The total price will be $14,090,000 for the roughly 65 acres. Mayor Phil Kramer said the purchase is a pre-emptive defense against potential high-density housing on the site. "The property is currently zoned for cluster housing," he said. "On 65 acres, you could put hundreds and hundreds of homes. The township is buying this so that does not happen." The property is currently divided into roughly three sections, a farm, open space and space on which there lies a cricket pitch. "You'll be hearing in the future how the property will be divided and how exactly we'll be paying for it," Kramer said. "Initially, we'll be paying for it with township money." The money will initially come from the township's capital improvement fund, according to one of the ordinances. Fr. Paolo Fedrigoni of Consolata said in an email that the sale comes at a time when the Consolata Missionaries are considering downsizing. "The facilities were built when 12 missionaries were on site, now we are three," he said in an email. "When the township approached us manifesting an interest in buying the property, we considered their proposal." Fr. Fedrigoni said the missionaries "will be moving across Route 27 to North Brunswick, keeping a presence in the area and the core of our activities." Public hearings on the ordinances connected with the purchase are set for the council's Feb. 14 meeting.
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