Fencegate: How a Well-Used Thoroughfare Divided the Neighborhood
On August 14, 2025, people expecting to traveling to and from the canal path found themselves blocked by a locked gate.
Locals and visitors regularly cut through a walkway located behind Canal Studios so they can gain pedestrian access to Basil Bandwagon, Luminary Coffee, Tavola Rustica Pizza, Moxie, Beyond Barre, Owow Cow, and the CVS shopping center.
In mid-August, would-be shoppers found themselves locked out by a chain and padlock, leaving folks annoyed, inconvenienced, and recalculating. The gate has been open for years, and there was no explanation or warning about the closure.
Why the Gate Was Shut
By August 26th, possibly due to inquiries and rumors, a sign was posted on the gate that gave a detailed explanation about the reasons behind the closure.
The sign read:
Dear Lambertville Community,
We are very sorry, but this gate is temporarily closed.
We understand that many neighbors have enjoyed using the path through Canal Studios’ property to access the Canal Path and hope to reopen it.
Last week, during our parking lot repairs and line striping, people refused to listen to our team and were walking/biking across active repairs with heavy machinery, posing a safety risk for all involved, requiring our team to lock the gate.
We are getting ready for a roof repair and building upgrade project and need to keep this gate closed for the time being for safety and security.
In the last few days with the gate closed, our property management team and cleaning personnel have been relieved and noticed how a small percentage of the community has been abusing this open area.
Our cleaning personnel have reported excessive litter, daily dog waste bags all over the ground, drug paraphernalia, and too many people using the private parking lot and building as public parking and public bathrooms, making it necessary to limit access temporarily (those not visiting businesses in the building).
We have tried everything over the years with recently installed signage that has been ignored. While the building has no-dog signs, many people bring their wet dogs (who swim in the canal right into the building, resulting in excessive and constant cleaning for small cleaning crew.
During the closure, please use the nearby public access to the Canal Path entrance Elm Street, one block south.
While we assess the overuse situation and finish our property upgrades, the gate will be closed.
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and all your support over the years.
Please make sure to continue to support all the small local businesses in Lambertville, including the many amazing entrepreneurs and great companies in our complex.
Sincerely,
The Property Management Team of Canal Studios
The Property Management Team of Canal Studios suggested, in bold text, that people should access the canal path one block south at the Elm Street entrance.
Elm Street is not that close. Adding a couple of unexpected blocks to a customers’s trip could thwart them from visiting a business at Canal Studios.
They Reopened It
By Thursday, August 28th, the gate was open and a new sign had been posted.
The new sign read:
Dear Lambertville Community,
Please see our previous message informing the community that we temporarily closed this gate due to parking lot painting and repairs.
We have other projects upcoming with various safety concerns, and this gate may be temporarily closed again for safety precautions. As previously reported, when the gate was closed, our small cleaning crew reported a significant reduction in cleaning up feces, dog waste bags, mud from wet dogs and bikes, and much more left by individuals parking in the lot who were not tenants or patrons of the wonderful businesses in the building, but rather taking advantage of the open gate.
Basil Bandwagon has graciously offered to open and close the gate each day from 8 AM to 8 PM (during their store hours) and provide access to their restrooms if needed.
Basil Bandwagon has been an integral part of this community, and we ask everyone to acknowledge the challenges faced by many small businesses and support them, along with all our amazing tenants here.
We kindly ask the community to respect our staff and tenants by not using our restrooms, hallways, or parking lots unless you are visiting a tenant's business. Failure to respect these boundaries may lead us to close the gate again.
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and continued support over the years. Please continue to support all the small local businesses in Lambertville, including the many amazing entrepreneurs and great companies in our complex.
Sincerely,
The Property Management Team of Canal Studios
A representative from Canal Studios confirmed that the gate is now open.
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