Developer of Equinox Gym Plans Work on Neighboring Lot

Developer Nicholas Laganella was one step away from building an Equinox Fitness Center at 776 Route 17 northbound.

He had from the Planning Board and the Council had agreed to that would complete the property.

But he was back in front of the Planning Board Thursday night, after he and the Borough couldn't agree to a sale price. Laganella said the Borough refused to come down from a price of $660,000 for a third of an acre of Sunflower Avenue, a cul de sac off Route 17.

"It doesn't seem reasonable that you can just look at an obsolete cul de sac and say, oh well, it's worth $660,000 because it's one third of an acre," he told the Council on April 10.

Instead, Laganella bought the lot to the south of the Equinox property, at 770 Route 17 northbound. The Council granted him permission to proceed with construction on the gym while he presents an application to develop the new property in front of the Planning Board.

It wasn't a unanimous decision. One of the conditions for Laganella's plans for the Equinox Fitness Center was that he purchase the Sunflower Avenue parcel.

Councilmen Eric Nazziola and Tom Locicero thought Laganella should do that application all over again. But the rest of the Council voted to let Laganella start construction, after he agreed to put up a $660,000 letter of credit.

If Laganella doesn't get approval on the plans for 770 Route 17, he'll lose that money.

"You guys can control your destiny right now by getting a revised site plan," Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said.

Engineer Scott Koenig laid out the plans for the newly purchased property on Thursday. Two new buildings will replace the existing building.

The smaller building will be an as-yet-unnamed fast-casual restaurant with a drive through, and the larger, 15,000 square foot building will serve as retail space. Laganella also plans to remove the driveway at 770 Route 17 in favor of having all traffic enter through the driveway in front of Equinox.

The appearance in front of the Planning Board was only a conceptual review. The formal application for the new site is tentatively scheduled for May 17.