​Ice Arena In East Brunswick: Design Plan Presented To Council

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – During the last council meeting, architects made an extended presentation on the proposed ice arena in East Brunswick.

This presentation comes after community engagement, negotiations, spending plans and other elements of the redevelopment plan.

The proposed two-sheet arena will bring ice hockey and skating to the township, according to the plan presented by Kurt Vierhilieg, Director of Design, DMR Architects.

Mayor Brad Cohen noted that the work of redevelopment in the township has kept taxes stable and building the ice skating rink was a way to give back to the community.

“Over time as we have more PILOT money coming in, we look forward to being able to introduce a community center and an expansion of the Community Arts Center in a way that still allows us to keep property taxes stable from a Municipal standpoint,” Cohen said, noting that the municipal portion of the taxes has not increased for the past seven years.

The project is expected to cost $53 million with $10 million coming in from Garden Communities’ release of the land and infrastructure upgrades. An additional $3 million will come from the PILOT grant and the township will issue $40 million in bonds.

According to Vierhilieg’s presentation, rink 1 will have seating for 400 and Rink 2 will have about 200 seats. The lobby of the building will have information and a skate rental area, and will offer an unobstructed view of all the public places on the property.

There will be a party room in the facility which can be rented out. Around 18 locker rooms are being planned along with several showers and bathrooms.

There will also be a multi-use area with a high ceiling that can be used for tournaments and other events. A concession stand will be located close to it.

Rink 1 will be the main rink and both are full-sized, meeting all regulations necessary to play competitive ice hockey.

There will be 184 dedicated parking spaces with additional bus parking available through an agreement with Lowe’s on Route 18, according to Kieth Kipp, Director of Planning and Engineering.

To watch the entire presentation, click here.

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