GIBBSBORO — Officials want to create a restaurant district here as part of sweeping changes around the local landmark Silver Lake.
A master developer is being sought for the planned construction of up to four restaurants around the lake, according to Gibbsboro Mayor Edward Campbell.
Separately, homebuilder D.R. Horton has approvals to build a 163-unit townhome community on undeveloped land near the lake.
And borough officials are creating a venue for public events and private rentals at the Lucas House, an 18th-century structure that overlooks the lake.
“We have more than $1.3 million for this,” Campbell said of the historic site’s conversion, which last year received a $750,000 federal grant through U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ).
Plans also call for a new park to the south of the Lucas House, and improvements to an already-popular three-quarter-mile path around the water.
The wide-ranging changes are intended “to grow our tax base, leverage eco-tourism, and establish a ‘Gibbsboro brand’ that benefits existing and future residents and businesses,” Campbell said.
The lake currently has one restaurant on its shoreline, The ChopHouse, an upscale eatery owned by the Haddon Township-based parent company of P.J. Whelihan’s and other eateries.
“We believe Silver Lake is an ideal location for restaurants as evidenced by the continued success of The ChopHouse,” Campbell said.
Plans call for restaurants on three roads that run by Silver Lake:
The first two phases of the restaurant project “will have significant infrastructure available to the developer, reducing investment costs," Campbell said.
The borough, which would retain ownership of the restaurant sites, also is expected to support New Jersey concessionaire permits for future tenants. The permits allow liquor sales on publicly held property.
“It's possible the Lakeview Drive and Clementon Road properties could be in operation in a year, but 18 to 24 months for design, approval and construction is more realistic,” Campbell said.
He expects the restaurants and townhomes — with an anticipated price point of approximately $500,000 — will be “fully completed and occupied within three years.”
“Combined with revenue from the restaurants and new cannabis taxes (from a dispensary in a formerly vacant bank building on South Lakeview Drive), the town will realize a significant boost in annual tax revenue,” the mayor said.
Gibbsboro, with 2,200 residents, has been known largely for years-long projects to remediate three Superfund sites within its 2.2 square miles.
The polluted areas were the unwanted legacy of an oil-based paint and varnish factory that started in 1851 as John Lucas & Co. The plant closed in 1977, and several smokestacks now loom over the lake as a reminder of its presence.
A developer bought the site in 1981 and built an office complex on part of the property, The Paint Works.
“It's possible the Lakeview Drive and Clementon Road properties could be in operation in a year, but 18 to 24 months for design, approval, and construction is more realistic,” said Campbell.
He expects the restaurants and townhomes — with an anticipated price point of approximately $500,000 — will be “fully completed and occupied within three years.”
“Combined with revenue from the restaurants and new cannabis taxes (from a dispensary in a formerly vacant bank building on Lakeview Drive), the town will realize a significant boost in annual tax revenue,” the mayor said.
Borough officials are pursuing the restaurant project with the Camden County Improvement Authority, which is to open bids from prospective developers April 1.
The authority “will continue to provide expertise and technical assistance in expanding economic development within the historic municipality,” said Louis Cappelli Jr., the county’s commissioner director.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: [email protected].