Mini Golf Amusement Center Not Coming To Ramsey-Mahwah Border

An application to build a Castle Fun Center on Route 17 next to the Home Depot has been withdrawn, Ramsey Mayor Chris Botta said at a council meeting Wednesday night. The amusement complex, which would have included a mini-golf course, go karts, laser tag and an arcade, received several variance approvals from both Ramsey and Mahwah to be built straddling the border of the two municipalities.

According to attorney Jim Jaworski, land-owners Brian and Allison Leentjes, “found another project to invest [their] capital in,” a driving range in Orange County, N.Y. That project, he said, is only about seven miles away from the Castle Fun Center the developers already own in Chester, N.Y.

According to a NorthJersey.com report, Ramsey’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved variances for the 6,500-square-foot amusement center in November of 2010. Though the project would have technically been in Ramsey, access to the site would have come through Constantine Drive in Mahwah. The Mahwah Planning Board approved the plans for the project in May of 2011, though several board members voted against it, citing safety concerns regarding traffic flow to the spot on and off Route 17.

According to Jaworski, Leentjes “has no current plans to develop anything else,” on the 2.6-acre piece of property, and may sell the land.