Skylands Ice World property to be sold

| 28 Sep 2011 | 02:49

    STOCKHOLM-Skylands Ice World has probably seen its last skaters. This past week, the owners of Skylands Ice Arena in Stockholm engaged Commercial Realty Associates of Union, N.J., to market the property for sale or lease. The rink closed down earlier in the spring. Skylands is not expected to remain an ice skating arena, and may not remain a single-use facility. "We are just coming onto the market with this one-of-a-kind facility and are looking at a number of ways it could be utilized," said Brian Lynch of Commercial Realty Associates. Among the possibilities being considered at this early stage are retail stores, professional offices, or a combination of the two. It is also possible the arena will be converted into a movie theater and restaurant. The building is 80,000 square feet, including the mezzanine level, which is 20,000 feet. The parking lot can accommodate over 300 cars. Lynch does not know the actual size of the property. Some of it consists of wetlands. "The current owners were not able to break even as a skating rink," he said. "They reached out to other rink operators, but the reality of a limited season and the area demographics pointed out the need to shut down. This was not the best use of the property and we need to find out what kind of facility will make sense for the region." With restrictions on building in New Jersey due to Highlands Preservation, another skating rink will probably not open in the area to take its place, according to both Lynch and Peter Brooker, Skylands' former financial manager.