Residents Near the Colonia Country Club Like the Town's Development Rights Purchase

Homeowners who live around the are generally content with the township's $6.5 million purchase of the land development rights to the 105-acre golf club.

Kacy Phillips stood outside his Colonia Boulevard home with his children, down the street from the country club, and he said he thought the land rights purchase was a good idea.

"I don't want them to develop it. They should keep it as it is," said Phillips, who has lived in his home for 7 years.

His wife, Shannon, agreed. "There were so many rumors. We were worried that it would affect our property values if it was developed," she said.

Both parents were worried that children of homeowners who'd buy houses built on the golf course property would overburden their local schools.

"The schools are already crowded," said Shannon Phillips. 

Joan Rokse has lived on Colonia Boulevard for almost half a century, and her biggest concern with bringing more people into the area was the potential for more traffic on the winding road.

"This street is busy enough. With more houses there, it'd be like a zoo," she said.

Although her own children had long since graduated, she, too, was worried that new building on the country club property would be too much for local schools.

"All those kids couldn't fit into the local schools," Rokse said.

Tony DeGennaro, a resident of nearby Canterbury Lane, said he has lived in the neighborhood since 1968 and did not want to see the country club property developed. Of the township's action, he said, "I guess it's a good thing, but taxes go up and up here every year. It's hard to live here anymore, in this economy and if you're on a fixed income. I'm just really worried more about taxes."

Mayor John McCormac said last week there would be "no cost" to Woodbridge Township taxpayers" for the development rights acquisition. The township plans to borrow the $6.5 million to pay the club's owner and Middlesex County plans, in turn, to pay Woodbridge for the land rights over a four-year period so the property is retained as open space.