Dec. 1 opening set for cooking school, restaurant at Natirar resort

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

The 90 Acres Culinary Center, a restaurant and cooking school that would be open to the general public as the first completed phase of the proposed $90-million Virgin Spa at Natirar, now has a firm debut date of Dec. 1, a spokesman said.

Special invitations will be issued to neighbors, industry experts, some members of the proposed spa and other local representatives during the last few weeks of November, said Steven Hall, spokesman for the spa.

Ground was broken on the culinary center in 2008 as the first phase of the resort planned on about 90 leased acres at the Natirar county park. The leased area surrounds a hilltop with a century-old mansion. The developers had announced several opening dates for the culinary center, the most recent being September.

A temporary certificate of occupancy has been issued for the center, said Mayor William Horton. He said he is delighted by the prospect of the center's opening, and believes it will attract local residents.

"We are going to serve our community the highest quality food and beverage available with heart and soul, much of which will be raised or grown on our farm," said Bob Wojtowicz of Warren, who is developing the resort in partnership with Sir Richard Branson, the British billionaire who owns the Virgin brand for products and services.

Hall said the next phase of the project, predicted for completion in summer 2010, will be the opening of renovated cottages to be tied to a fitness center on site that will include a swimming pool and tennis courts.

With construction delayed on the resort, the spa developers had sought permission several months ago to erect a large tent to house special events.

The Borough Council's initial attempts to approve an ordinance that would give the governing body authority to issue a special use permit for a semi-permanent tent sparked protest from neighbors, who charged favoritism toward spa developers. The site plan for the project already approved by the Land Use Board prohibited the erection of such tents on the spa property.

The council approved a revised ordinance governing special use permits on ordinance on Oct. 13, but Hall said the spa has not applied for a special use permit, and is unlikely to do so until early next year.

Gerald Gunning, chairman of the Land-Use Board, said he believes the council ordinance infringes on the jurisdiction of the land-use board.

The Land-Use Board approved a one-day permit for the spa to erect a tent to hold an Oct. 3 fundraising gala to benefit the Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center in Tewksbury.

Hall said the gala had gone well, and the organizers used part of the mansion for the event.

Horton said the resort operations, when open, will bring tax income into the borough, even though the property is being leased from the county for 99 years.