Stratford, NJ

Christie wants changes in housing bill

2011-02-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

January 25, 2011

Christie wants changes in housing bill

The Associated Press

Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed an overhaul of the state's affordable-housing law Monday, sending back to the Legislature one of its most persistently vexing issues.

Christie, a Republican, likes the objective of the bill he vetoed: to eliminate the often-maligned state Council on Affordable Housing. The agency is in charge of enforcing affordable-housing policy, drafted in response to a series of court rulings over the last 35 years that found that towns in the high-cost state have to make sure there's room for homes for lower-income people. The concept and the way it's carried out are subject to almost constant litigation.

Earlier this month, lawmakers passed a bill to get rid of COAH and eliminate a 2.5 percent fee on commercial development.

The bill also called for each town to have 10 percent of its housing be affordable to low-‚and moderate-income people.

Christie objected, saying he would allow the bill to become law if the requirement was for 10 percent of new homes, not all homes, to be designated as affordable. He said that towns where no development occurs should not be subject to the regulations.

He also objects to a provision that would require 25 percent of affordable housing to be mixed into inclusionary developments. He says it would increase sprawl too much to require market-rate housing be put up to go along with the lower-cost homes.

Christie also objected to a provision that would require towns to hire one planning firm to create their affordable-housing plans and another to certify that they meet legal requirements.

He said he would accept the bill as the state Senate initially passed it last June. Since then, it was amended to add provisions he says he cannot accept.

Legislators approve bill to abolish COAH

2011-01-11T13:24:00.002-05:00

From the Courier Post

January 11, 2011

Legislators approve bill to abolish COAH

Associated Press

Lawmakers on Monday passed a measure to overhaul the state's much-maligned affordable-housing laws that have been at the center of a court battle since 1975.

The new measures would abolish the state Council on Affordable Housing, eliminate a 2.5 percent fee on commercial development and reduce some municipalities' obligations to provide housing for low- and moderate-income families.

New Jersey has struggled with how to provide low- and moderate-income housing since the 1975 court case known as the Mount Laurel decision successfully challenged exclusionary zoning in the Garden State.

In a series of decisions in the 1970s and '80s, New Jersey's Supreme Court outlawed zoning aimed at keeping out poor people and required communities to have plans that include space for low-income residents. The state formed the Council on Affordable Housing, or COAH, to oversee that requirement and decide how many affordable homes each town must provide.

But the political and bureaucratic implementation of the court's wishes has been anything but clear-cut.

The rulings set up a system where towns could file affordable housing plans with the state; those that didn't were subject to potential lawsuits from developers and others.

Officials in some communities blame those lawsuits for encouraging suburban sprawl. Meanwhile, mayors in many towns say COAH's oversight of their plans has slowed and in some cases prevented them from building affordable housing.

In May, the council proposed eliminating affordable housing quotas but an appeals court panel ruled in October that the state must return to its practice of providing each municipality with a specific number of required affordable housing units.

The appellate court gave the state five months to develop its new rules on how affordable housing obligations must be allocated.

The measure passed Monday keeps quotas in place but lowers the number required to 50,000 statewide from 116,000 over the next decade.

Most factions thought the bill, while imperfect, was an improvement over the existing law.

Kevin Walsh of the Fair Share Housing Center, which represents the interests of low-income residents, said the bill lets towns shirk their previous affordable housing obligation but was better than previous versions.

"The bill lets many wealthier suburban towns off the hook because it reduces their obligation so much that many will have already met it," Walsh said.

December Council Meeting

2010-12-14T23:39:00.000-05:00

Another quiet meeting.

This month marked Ben Angeli's last meeting. Coincidentally, Ben's departure from council is what effectively allowed me to be elected.

We're at the end of the calendar year, and for the borough, it's the end of the fiscal year as well. So far I've seen the budget and have started making my notes and coming up with my questions. We're about $300,000 short right now. So effective government will be about how to save money without cutting services, staff, street lights...

The borough pays for all of the fire hydrants in town. The water company bills the town for over $50,000 per year for the hydrants. OK, so can we take away the hydrants to save money? Great question, but what's the downside - homeowners get their insurance rates based on the distance to the hydrant. Take away the hydrant? Pay more insurance.

This is the last post as council-elect. Next month will be councilman for real.

November, 2010 Council Meeting

2010-11-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tonight's meeting didn't produce much in way of action by the Council. The most important things we saw tonight was the Mayor's reading of the proclamation that acknowledges Veteran's Day. So was it necessary to go through the formalities of proclaiming Stratford in Observance of Labor Day? My answer is yes, of course. Even better was that the veteran's in attendance who stood proudly in front of the town as the mayor read the proclamation. As I grow up and grow older I continue to find humility when I am among my friends, relatives and neighbors that have served our country.

The business section of the meeting was fairly short, we paid our bills and made put a used police cruiser up for sale. The public portion generated as much content as the agenda: A resident wants us to look forward to a new world order, another wants us to remember that we're obligated to do something about redevelopment.

That's a great point, and a big reason why I wanted to become a councilman. I am convinced that our town's potential remains untouched, and we will be able to turn a corner. I hope it's sooner than later, but it will take hard work, commitment, trust and a generous dose of good luck. I hope it wasn't luck that got me elected, but I'll take whatever I can to keep Stratford moving forward.

Gloucester Twp. among towns plotting redevelopment for when the market rebounds

2010-11-08T19:17:00.000-05:00

By James Osborne

Inquirer Staff Writer
The days of developers jumping over one another to turn a farm into a shopping center are long gone.

But Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer remains optimistic that if he makes the right moves now, the town will see a return to better times.

Mayer, a former assemblyman who works as a lobbyist for Comcast, is doing what many municipal leaders are doing amid this historically dismal real estate market: setting up redevelopment projects for condominiums and golf courses and hoping the market turns around.

"We need to be prepared if and when someone comes in with a plan," he said. "I can't control the market; that's beyond us. But we do have to make our investments as valuable as possible."

A concept that swept U.S. cities in the decades following World War II, redevelopment saw a regional surge again in early 2000s as the government and developers joined forces to build "mixed-use" communities, where young professionals and empty nesters could live, play, and shop.

Fueling the redevelopment wave were many of the same factors driving the larger real estate bubble, said James Hughes, dean of Rutgers' Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in New Brunswick.

"It may well have been an anomaly," he said. "Many projects that may not have been approved in the 1990s were able to proceed in the 2000-to-2007 period because of rich, seemingly risk-free capital."

A redevelopment cottage industry arose in South Jersey, as consultants and lawyers lined up to advise and shepherd the process through everything from affordable-housing regulations to environmental cleanups of old industrial sites.

Now those who racked up billable hours in the boom are looking for other work.

Ballard Spahr, the prominent Philadelphia law firm, has drastically scaled down its redevelopment practice in New Jersey since eight of its lawyers left to form their own firm in Marlton.

Just a few years ago, Lou Bezich's real estate consulting business, Public Solutions, of Haddonfield, was humming with almost $300,000 in government contracts involving projects such as the White Horse Pike redevelopment and a transit village in Collingswood.

Now the firm is down to a single client, said Bezich, an administrator with Camden County College.

"Nothing will go back to the way it was, in my opinion," he said. "For a while there, the sentiment was if we built it, we'll fill it up."

Even with the downturn in the market, some redevelopment projects continue.

Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley, a lawyer with a prominent redevelopment practice, said he recently signed a deal with Sun Bank to refinance Collingswood's downtown condominium project, which has been scaled back but is set to finish construction after a long delay.

"From my work, I got to tell you, the only projects that are going ahead are redevelopment projects," Maley said.

The latest concept circulating among South Jersey planners is the development of educational and medical facilities, with Camden and Cooper University Hospital being used as a prototype.

The project Mayer is championing in Gloucester Township, in which Camden County College and Cooper are partners, would develop more than 100 acres around a new interchange on the Atlantic City Expressway. It would center on a medical complex to be built by Cooper and border the college, which is in the process of an $83 million campus rehabilitation.

But the loosely defined project, which could include condos and a golf course, has no timeline and is unlikely to start construction anytime soon.

And an antidevelopment sentiment has begun, with former Mayor Cindy Rau-Hatton leading a charge against the town's decision to move away from a town-center concept, which incorporated space for business but also included public space.

Mayer conceded that the scope of the project had changed, but he thought it a necessary concession.

"It is more expansive, but we have to be more expansive in these economic times," he said. "Now we can have a developer come in and tell us what they want to put there."

Contact staff writer James Osborne at 856-779-3876 or jaosborne@phillynews.com.

South Jersey town seeks hotel developer

2010-10-20T18:11:00.001-04:00

By JOEL LANDAU • GANNETT NJ• October 19, 2010

MILLVILLE — The city is taking tighter control of the
next step in its downtown development efforts.

Millville officials hope to find a developer for a
private-public partnership to build a downtown
hotel on city-owned land near the Maurice River.
Officials have tried to advance the project for a few
years, but now they're taking a more aggressive
approach.

"We've decided not to just sit on our hands," Mayor
Tim Shannon said. "We're still moving forward."

The city is working with the National Development
Council -- a national, nonprofit agency that
provides loans for economic development projects
-- to build a hotel with more than 100 rooms and a
restaurant, plus a 200-space parking garage and a
new 15,000-square-foot library.

The NDC would issue bonds and contract with a
private developer to build the project and operate
the hotel. Once construction is complete and the
bonds are paid off, the city would own the parking
garage and library.

City officials estimate the project would cost 10
percent to 30 percent less through this approach
because they could secure financing at a lower rate
than a private developer would obtain.

The city has several financing options, including:

-Through the NDC, it could offer a developer loans
and federal tax credits to help finance the project.

-The city has money in its Urban Enterprise Zone
accounts, but Shannon said using those funds is
less likely due to an ongoing state review of the UEZ
program that might result in that money being
unavailable.

-The city could use funds from its Revenue
Allocation District to offer loans to a developer. The
hotel, in turn, would generate more revenue for the
district, which allocates half the tax on new
development and uses it for restoring properties in
Center City and the 3rd Ward or other projects.

City officials note the project is still in its planning
stages.

"We're working on a number of concepts," Vice
Mayor Joe Derella said. "We're not there yet."

The hotel is the centerpiece of Millville's efforts to
revitalize the area around the Maurice River. The city
currently is extending its boardwalk, and in 2008, it
used public grants to install a pedestrian bridge
allowing people to walk to Waltman Park.

Through Revenue Allocation District money, the city
this year also purchased and demolished a building
on the 200 block of Buck Street to provide better
waterfront access.

Officials hope a hotel would serve people visiting
New Jersey Motorsports Park and the Levoy Theatre,
which is set to reopen next year, and encourage
them to spend more time patronizing downtown
shops and restaurants.

"It's more than just a hotel," Shannon said. "We're
looking long-term for the city."

Last year, the city put out a request for proposals
for a new hotel, but received only one application.
The city then decided to actively seek a developer
instead of rebidding the project.

Other hotel plans also are in the works in Millville.

In July, construction started on a Fairfield Inn &
Suites by Marriot on Bluebird Lane behind the Union
Lake Crossing shopping center. There also are
plans to build a Marriot TownPlace Suites at that site,
and a Home2 Suites by Hilton behind Wawa on
North 2nd Street.

Eminent domain reforms sputter

2010-10-12T20:51:00.000-04:00

By BOB JORDAN • Gannett State Bureau• October
11, 2010

TRENTON — New Jersey continues to lag in
modernizing its eminent domain laws, with dozens
of other states having changed their rules in the five y
ears since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the
government's right to take land for private
redevelopment.

Changes proposed here would preserve the taking
of land for the redevelopment of blighted areas. But
eminent domain's legion of critics insist there must
be clear protections against the procedure being
too broadly authorized.

"If you own property, and paid good money for it,
and it's yours, nobody should be able to take it,"
said Claire Anzalone, whose family was involved in
a successful fight to save a Long Branch beachfront
home from redevelopment.

Eminent domain is the compulsory sale of property
without the owner's consent. Last week, a proposal
that would revise eminent domain's use in the state
was approved by the Senate Community and Urban
Affairs Committee but still requires at least four
additional approvals before it could get to Gov. Chri-
s Christie's desk.

One of its features is enhanced notification and
hearing requirements for property owners, which
Long Branch resident Lori Ann Vendetti says is "not
what anti-eminent domain activists want."

"So what? They give you more notification? They
give you more time before they kick you out of your
house," said Vendetti, who was among the leaders of
a group of residents who gained court rulings that
made the city and developers back down from a
large-scale project.

The new bill is touted by its sponsor, Sen. Ronald
Rice, D-Essex, as a balance between the rights of
residents and allowing for makeovers of blighted
areas "when necessary."

The bill's text also promises "just compensation and
appropriate relocation benefits for property owners
and tenants impacted by eminent domain and
redevelopment projects."

Rice said he's not surprised that not everyone is
happy with the proposal. Sen. Christopher Connors,
R-Ocean, opposed the bill in the committee, which
advanced the plan to the budget committee in a 3-1
vote.

"There have been many compromises. There's no
such thing as perfect legislation, especially a bill of
this magnitude," Rice said.

An attorney who specializes in property
condemnation cases said he expects the bill to
wither -- as it has in past sessions.

"It's just window-dressing. It's for the legislators to
say they're doing something but not really having
the will to do it," said William J. Ward.

The attorney said 43 states have altered their
eminent domain laws since the 2005 Supreme Court
ruling.

"Two of the states to not make changes are New Jers-
ey and New York, where there are high levels of
redevelopment," Ward said.

"There have been a lot of complaints that New Jersey
has abuse of eminent domain. I testified three times
before an Assembly committee about new
legislation. They drafted bills before but never took
action. They lacked political will," Ward said. "The
whole process is political because the
municipalities are in favor of using it to develop
portions of their towns, and there's pay-to-play
factors involving engineers, consultants, developers
and others. No one has got a handle on it. If there's
reform, it has to come from the top."

At last week's committee hearing, a Jersey City
resident said Rice's bill doesn't protect property
owners who are capable of redeveloping their own
land.

"For one property that we've owned for generations
and want to redevelop, our vision for the future of
this property may not become a reality under this
bill," Harwood said after the hearing.

Reach Bob Jordan at (609) 984-4343
bjordan@nj-pressmedia.com

Hazlet's clash with developer continues

2010-09-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

By TERRY GAUTHIER MUESSIG • STAFF WRITER • September 21, 2010

The Township Committee is continuing its battle to stop a developer from building up to 52 townhouses on Poole Avenue.

The committee is expected to discuss the dispute during its meeting at 8 p.m. tonight.

For almost four years, the township has been in court appeals to stop Sea Bright-based Elegant Properties from building townhouses on 4.5 acres of property. The site is situated between a single-family home on Poole Avenue and Walgreens on Route 36.

To date, the township has spent almost $100,000.

"This (the lawsuits) has never gone to trial," township attorney James Gorman said.

However, Jeff Tiger, an owner of Elegant Properties, said the township's decision to continue the lawsuits was "troubling."

"The township continues to spend taxpayers' money, and the results have not changed," Tiger said. In fact, the amount of townhouses the developer wants to build at the site has increased by double digits.

The developer's original plan was to build 27 townshouses at the site. When that plan was denied, the developer resubmitted a plan to build 11 single-family homes. And, although that plan was approved, the builder, again, resubmitted a plan to build 26 townhouses at the site.

Then, in March 2008 the builder filed a "builder's remedy" lawsuit to be allowed to proceed with a housing project on that site. The suit proceeded because the township was not protected under affordable housing regulations.

By July 2008, Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson ordered court-appointed Special Master Elizabeth C. McKenzie to work with the township and the developer to correct the township's affordable housing ordinance.

Within a year, McKenzie had deemed the site was suitable for 52 units, including 10 affordable housing units.

However, Tiger said the company would build 48 units rather than the 52 units.

"We will continue to fight any litigation, vigorously," Tiger said.

Terry Gauthier Muessig: 908-618-8795; terrygm@app.com

Moorestown approves redevelopment zone

2010-07-27T09:19:00.001-04:00

July 27, 2010

Moorestown approves redevelopment zone

By CAROL COMEGNO
Courier-Post Staff

Township council designated a stretch of Camden Avenue in the Lenola and West Moorestown sections as a redevelopment zone Monday night.

The unanimous vote reflected concerns about health and safety conditions at the Moorestown Oaks, an apartment complex at 101 E. Camden Ave. where two of five buildings are boarded-up.

Seven properties totaling nearly six acres are in the zone between the Oaks and the 7-Eleven store at Camden Avenue and Lenola Road near the Maple Shade border. They include another apartment building, an office building, a few homes and vacant land.

Officials have long been frustrated over their inability to intervene in a foreclosure case involving Moorestown Oaks -- a legal effort that was recently dropped. They also wanted more power to pressure the Oaks to improve and repair the apartments.

"Redevelopment is another tool in the toolbox of township options," said township manager Christopher Schultz.

Councilman Greg Gallo said the redevelopment resolution was needed for the township to begin assessing its options at the site.

Council members have called the complex an "eyesore" and a "blemish" on the township.

Local officials ordered one of the apartment buildings at the Oaks complex closed last year due to roof problems and other structural issues after a fire inspection. Burlington County officials had also determined that one of the buildings was unfit for habitation.

The township extended the zone beyond the Oaks in order to offer a larger area to developers, said Tom Ford, community development director and planning board secretary.

Monday's vote followed a recommendation earlier this month by the township planning board. Council had asked the planning board to explore the criteria needed to establish such a zone and to research whether this area would qualify.

The planning board determined there were fire and construction code violations at the Oaks. It also found there were traffic issues because of the many driveways and the congested Lenola Road intersection as well as wetlands issues.

State housing code violations at the Oaks include electrical hazards, leaking walls and ceilings, mold, inadequate emergency lighting, fire alarm and smoke detector violations and deterioration of the parking lot and sidewalks, according to the planning board resolution.

Secure Management Service, which operates the complex, has not commented on conditions at the apartments.

Reach Carol Comegno at (856) 486-2473 or ccomegno@courierpostonline.com

Rowan Boulevard

2010-06-16T21:10:00.000-04:00

N.J. lawmakers urged to abandon affordable-housing bill

2010-06-10T16:12:00.001-04:00

Posted on Thu, Jun. 10, 2010

N.J. lawmakers urged to abandon affordable-housing bill

By Maya Rao

Inquirer Staff Writer
TRENTON - Proponents of a controversial bill expected to win approval by the state Senate on Thursday say it will simplify New Jersey's complex and unpopular rules on how towns provide affordable housing.

Yet opposition has been mounting since the first version of the bill was introduced by Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union) in January, and on Wednesday more than 100 organizations called for lawmakers to abandon the plan.

Critics say the proposal directs low-cost housing away from areas near employment hubs that most need it, while inviting sprawl to rural areas.

The measure would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing, which enforces municipal affordable-housing quotas. It was created by the legislature 25 years ago in response to Supreme Court rulings that towns had a constitutional obligation to provide low- and moderate-income housing. Developers, government officials, and housing advocates have been fighting over how best to achieve that ever since.

Lesniak and other supporters say the measure offers a simpler way for towns to provide affordable housing and returns authority to the local level.

The bill, known as S-1, requires that developers of residential housing set aside between 5 and 10 percent for affordable units. They could opt out of the requirement in several ways, however, including paying $10,000 per each unit that would have been affordable. That money would go toward rehabbing properties.

Yet the proposal could also ease the way for builders in some towns more than others.

The proposal deems about half of New Jersey's 566 municipalities "inclusionary," meaning they provide a variety of housing choices. Towns achieve the designation if 71/2 percent of their total housing stock is price-restricted, or at least one-third is single-family attached housing or mobile homes.

Projects by developers in towns that don't meet that standard would be considered "inherently beneficial" if they apply to the local zoning board for a variance, say, to construct homes at a higher density or in an area zoned nonresidential. Critics note that such a designation, already given for uses such as schools and hospitals, would favor the builder.

The bill "is going to lead to strange results, like wealthy municipalities getting off the hook and older towns that already have their fair share of affordable housing being expected to do more," said Kevin Walsh, of the Fair Share Housing Center, an affordable-housing advocacy organization in Cherry Hill.

The center provided a list of which towns would qualify as inclusionary, or "exempt," under the current bill.

Voorhees and Collingswood are considered exempt, but the list doesn't quite show that wealthy towns are universally getting off the hook - Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, and Moorestown are all deemed not exempt.

Lumped into the same category are diverse communities that already have provided a lot of affordable housing, such as Pennsauken and Gloucester City.

Disproportionately affected are towns in more rural counties, such as Salem, Gloucester, and Cumberland in South Jersey, Hunterdon in the central part of the state, and Warren and Sussex in the northwest. Only a fraction of towns in those counties are exempt.

"All these places with more trees than people aren't exempt," despite the fact that they are not near jobs, noted Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Yet it's also unclear how the proposal, if adopted, would mesh with current regulations restricting development in some remote areas such as the Pinelands.

Walsh noted that Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester) has not been vocal publicly about the measure, although it would disproportionately affect his county: Just seven of 24 towns in Gloucester County, including his hometown of West Deptford, are exempt.

"This is legislation that is affecting his district, and he's been asleep on it," said Walsh. "Now he's posted it for a vote."

Walsh and other advocates have wanted the Senate to postpone voting. They say that Lesniak has shut them and the public out of the legislative process.

"The Senate president agrees with the bipartisan consensus that mandating affordable housing through the arbitrary assignment of numbers not only won't work, but hasn't worked. . . . He supports S-1 and will vote for it," Derek Roseman, a spokesman for the Senate Majority Office, wrote in an e-mailed statement.

A spokesman for Gov. Christie declined to comment Wednesday and said the governor would speak on the issue Thursday. Christie recently unveiled a similar proposal to kill the Council on Affordable Housing.

The Fair Share Housing Center's list shows some interesting results in the Atlantic City area, which has a strong need for affordable housing for casino employees. Just outside the city, Brigantine, Ventnor, and Margate are considered inclusionary, though those towns have many expensive beachfront condos.

Among the areas in which the bill would instead target growth are farther-flung towns of Atlantic County such as Folsom, Buena Vista, and Port Republic.

Every town in Hudson County, across the river from New York City, is considered inclusionary. That includes Hoboken, home to former Gov. Jon S. Corzine's multimillion-dollar condo.

The bill is somewhat open-ended on how the state would guard against expensive condos and apartments counting toward the inclusionary designation, only saying that the state "may exclude buildings determined to be luxury dwellings."

The latest version of S-1 won approval by the Senate Economic Growth Committee on June 3. But housing advocates expressed frustration that the committee neither allowed public comment nor made available a copy of the amended bill before voting.

Christie has said he wants affordable-housing reforms to pass by June 30, also the deadline to pass the state budget.

Housing advocate Matthew Reilly said he did not understand "what appears to be a mad rush to get these reforms pushed through the way they're currently conceived," given that the subject is so complicated. Reilly, executive director of the affordable-housing nonprofit MEND in Moorestown, added that several towns his organization had worked with for years were unwilling to move forward on projects due to uncertainty over how the state's affordable-housing rules could change.

An April opinion by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services determined that an earlier, yet similar version of the bill could be susceptible to a legal challenge on constitutional grounds. It found that the proposal failed to assure that regional housing needs required by a Supreme Court ruling would be met through the set-asides.

Contact staff writer Maya Rao at 856-779-3220 or mrao@phillynews.com.

Find this article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20100610_N_J__lawmakers_urged_to_abandon_affordable-housing_bill.html

Liquor license sales face price drop

2010-05-25T12:33:00.001-04:00

By EILEEN SMITH • Courier-Post Staff • May 24,
2010

Only three years after the price for a liquor license
bubbled to a record $1.6 million, sales have gone
flat.

Meanwhile, a Camden County lawmaker has rolled
out legislation that would enable municipalities to
sell unused licenses across town borders, which he
says would provide revenue for towns parched for
cash.

"We want to be able to balance budgets without
killing property owners with taxes," said Sen. Jim
Beach, D-Camden. "The impact of the recession on
businesses and municipalities has made us much
more open-minded."

Still, there are more licenses on the current market
than buyers, which is pressing prices down. Mike
McGeough, who will open Dublin Square at the
former Swanky Bubbles site on Evesham Road in
Cherry Hill, paid $850,000 earlier this month for the
right to pour, roughly half the $1.6 million the
Swanky Bubbles partners paid in August 2007.

"There are three licenses available, so we got what
we hope is a good deal," McGeough said.

Still, he worries about the Beach bill, which would,
in theory, make more licenses available.

"What is the point of me spending all this money on
a license if it is going to be dramatically devalued?"
McGeough said. "It's an asset to our investors and
we hope it will increase in value."

McGeough and his brother Sean bought their
license from the developers of Garden State Park,
who had been holding it in anticipation of
expansion before the economy dried up.

Competition between Garden State and Cherry Hill
Mall sparked the record run-up in license prices
several years ago, said Jeff Lucas of Lucas & Co. in
Medford, who brokered several of the sales.

The race started in March 2005, when M&M Realty,
developers of the former racetrack, spent $790,000
for a license held by the former Ott's Tavern in
Cherry Hill. It eventually went to the Cheesecake
Factory.

"Then things really heated up because the mall
wanted a license, too," Lucas recalled.

The license of South Beach Bar & Grill on Grove
Road sold for $1.5 million in June 2006, followed
soon after by $1.5 million for a license at Woodcrest
Bowling Alley.

"Now that the track and the mall have their licenses,
that competition is gone," Lucas explained. "Plus,
several businesses have closed, which means there
are more buyers than sellers."

According to the state Division of Alcoholic
Beverage Control, there are 9,250 liquor licenses in
New Jersey, most used to operate restaurants and
bars and 1,784 licenses for package goods stores.
Each municipality is entitled to one consumption
license for every 3,000 residents and one store
license for every 7,500 people.

Beach said he doesn't believe allowing dry towns
and those with few bars to sell unused licenses to
other communities will significantly depress prices
further.

"That could be a logical conclusion, although I
don't see prices diminishing a great deal," he said.

is proposal also would create a new class of
licenses for restaurants that want to sell beer and
wine to patrons ordering food. In addition, Beach
supports a provision that would allow grocers with
operations under religious supervision to sell
alcohol, such as the Kosher Connection at the
ShopRite at Garden State Pavilions in Cherry Hill.

The partners who opened Swanky Bubbles on
Evesham Road in Cherry Hill paid $1.6 million for a
license formerly held by Olive. After the venue
closed, restaurateur Vince Frankowski put the
license up for bids.

"We are currently selling the license and in early
discussions with some potential groups,"
Frankowski said. "But nothing is confirmed as yet."

In Gloucester County, four townss are looking to
liquor licenses for a cash infusion. In November,
Clayton, East Greenwich, Mantua and Washington T
ownship put unused licenses on the block at
prices ranging from $550,000 in Mantua to the
mid-$200,000s in Clayton and East Greenwich.

Washington Township discounted its opening bid
$50,000, to $500,000, after several attempts to
auction off the license failed to attract any takers.

Other towns have had better luck tapping their
licenses for cash. There is $560,000 more in the
municipal coffers in Voorhees, thanks to Township
Clerk Jeanette Schelburg and Dee Ober, deputy clerk.
They successfully challenged the census, garnering
the town two additional licenses.

Bidding for the distribution license started at
$400,000 and rose as three bidders competed. The
winners, Scott McKay and John Neale, are seeking a
site for a liquor store, Ober said.

A June 9 auction is slated for the consumption
license, with the bidding to start at $1 million. So
far, only one bidder has registered, Ober said. That
is the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust,
owner of Voorhees Town Center.

In Mount Laurel, where a consumption license sold
for $800,199 in 2007, there are still no bidders for
an unused license the township is trying to sell. The
minimum asking price: $650,000.

"There have been a lot of inquiries but so far
nobody has bought it," said Pat Halbe, municipal
clerk.

Mount Laurel did sell a distribution license for
$621,000 to Nithya Chillakuru of Voorhees, whose
family-owned firm, Fai Aafhika, operates liquor
stores.

"The minimum bid for that one was $500,000, but it
went for a lot more," Halbe said. "That's what
happens when two people want the same thing."

Reach Eileen Smith at (856) 486-2444 or
esmith@courierpostonline.com

Glassboro, NJ's Redevelopment Project Proceeding, Say Officials

2010-05-19T16:52:00.000-04:00

Posted: Wednesday, 19 May 2010 1:49PM

Glassboro, NJ's Redevelopment Project Proceeding, Say Officials

by KYW's David Madden

Officials in Glassboro, NJ took reporters on a tour of the downtown area on Wednesday. The area (right) is undergoing a $300-million dollar overhaul to create a collegiate and shopping mecca over the next two to three years (see previous story).

It all surrounds work on the new Rowan Boulevard, and within a couple of years will include housing for more than 800 students; 120,000 square feet of retail space with everything from mom-and-pop stores to a huge Barnes and Noble bookstore, a Starbucks, a supermarket, and a Marriott hotel; a parking garage; and even a small park.

Glassboro business administrator Joe Brigandi:

"At the end of the project we project our property tax ratables to be somewhere in the ballpark of 1½ to two million dollars."

That's six to eight times what they were before 90 properties were bought out for the project.

It's a public-private partnership aimed at keeping property taxes in check while keeping college students -- and their spending money -- in town.

Governor Christie Signs Legislation to Reform Land-Use Development Regulations

2010-05-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

May 07, 2010
Governor Christie Signs Legislation to Reform Land-Use Development Regulations

Governor Chris Christie today signed legislation to simplify and make more predictable regulations governing land-use development applications at the municipal level, encouraging development and lowering costs for New Jersey businesses and job creators.

S-82, commonly referred to as "time of application" or "time of decision" legislation, provides that a land-use development application will be governed by the municipal development regulations in effect at the time of the application. Exceptions are provided for those rules related to health and public safety.

The legislation does not guarantee approval of a land-use application, but instead allows for the application process to move forward without the unnecessary hurdle of constantly changing requirements while the application is pending.

"New Jersey's businesses and entrepreneurs - the job creators of our state - invest considerable amounts of financial and human resources in navigating a vast landscape of rules and regulations at the state and local level," said Governor Christie. "Prior to the signing of this legislation, the system allowed for those rules to be changed in the middle of the process, even after an application has been submitted. This legislation makes common sense changes to improve the application process and move New Jersey in the right direction of providing a friendlier environment for job creation, while keeping safeguards for public health and safety in place."

Currently, regulations do not "lock-in" until preliminary approval is granted for an application, allowing municipalities to change the requirement of an application after its initial submission, resulting in a business that is investing in New Jersey having to start the costly, time-intensive application process over, or abandoning the project altogether.

Mount Laurel housing plan filed

2010-04-01T22:31:00.001-04:00

By JEREMY ROSEN • Courier-Post Staff • April 1,
2010

While in a legal battle against state affordable
housing mandates, Mount Laurel continues to
spend taxpayer dollars to follow the rules.

The township met its Wednesday deadline by filing
an amended fair share housing plan with state
Superior Court, according to the office of Judge
Michael J. Hogan.

But officials don't know when those plans for 1,143
low- and moderate-income units will move forward.
The plan includes a private developer's 102-unit
affordable housing and commercial proposal for 44
acres off Fellowship Road.

Mount Laurel was required to plan for 1,421
affordable units by 2018 when the state Council on
Affordable Housing drastically increased mandates
in June 2008. In 2006, Judge John A. Sweeney ruled
the township needed to provide just 226 units
through 2014.

Mount Laurel has committed to 839 other units and
is more than 90 percent developed.

Mayor Jim Keenan, who publicly criticized COAH
with Gov. Chris Christie, said the township cannot
afford the affordable housing burden that has
become "big business" for a number of different
parties.

Since 2008, the township has spent more than
$250,000 on affordable housing litigation and
planning costs.

"Lawyers make money fighting or implementing the
rules, planners get to redraw plans for
municipalities when regulations change, architects
and engineers design more units per acre and
developers make more money building more units,
which means they get to develop more market-rate
units in inclusionary plans," Keenan said.

The township council adopted Mount Laurel
Development LLC's Fellowship Road redevelopment
plan on Monday night. That plan proposes building
102 affordable units in 3 1/2-story structures on
6.4 acres of the tract between Church Road and
Beaver Avenue. The rest of the proposal includes
fewer than 120,000 square feet of retail buildings
and a fitness center.

That development company from Bellmawr
assembled the plan over the past five years and is
seeking parking, height and setback variances from
the township and tax abatements. The affordable
units of the proposal are scheduled to be open for
residents by June 2012, but Keenan said a true time
frame is uncertain.

Under COAH, 25 single-family affordable homes
were approved for an area across from Harrington
Middle School as part of Mount Laurel's 1988 plan,
said Keenan, a planning board member. A fair share
housing representative came before the planning
board in February to authorize the construction of
24 of those homes designed with roofs to include
solar panels, he said.

"It's 22 years later," he said. "Now the town wants
townhouses and single-family apartments there to
increase the number of units. If we need the units,
let's build them."

Editorial: Housing teardown

2010-03-30T12:53:00.001-04:00

Posted on Tue, Mar. 30, 2010

Editorial: Housing teardown

Scrapping New Jersey's affordable housing rules would be a major setback in a state that ranks among the most expensive places to live.

Gov. Christie wants to gut the requirements that stem from a landmark state Supreme Court housing discrimination case centered on Mount Laurel and a lawsuit by black residents.

Further, a bill in the Legislature would help towns sidestep any legal and moral obligations to provide affordable housing.

A better approach would be to fix what is broken. The current system isn't perfect, but it has forced towns to provide low- and moderate-income housing.

Last week, the governor rescinded a controversial executive order that suspended New Jersey's affordable housing regulations. He was likely to lose a court battle over the issue.

Now Christie appears poised to endorse recommendations from a task force he appointed in February to come up with ways to improve the system. The report was not expected until May.

Why the hurry on such a crucial matter that has divided the state for decades?

The task force suggests waiving previously ordered housing obligations and starting from scratch.

The Council on Affordable Housing, which enforces regulations, would be eliminated. County planning boards would determine if a town met its housing obligations, a bad idea in light of the state's track record.

New Jersey is one of the most economically segregated states in the country, with high concentrations of poverty in its urban centers. Current housing requirements call for 115,000 new low-cost units by 2015. The obligations were first due in 1999, but have been delayed.

But a bill introduced by state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D., Union) would put the state on a different course. The result would likely mean that fewer affordable housing options would be available.

Under the proposal, about half of New Jersey's 566 municipalities would already be deemed in compliance. The bar would be lowered for the remaining towns to meet the requirements.

Critics note that even former Gov. Jon S. Corzine's luxury condo in Hoboken would be considered affordable housing.

In the biggest step backward, the bill would restore a rule that allows municipalities to pay poorer towns to build a portion of their affordable housing.

Instead of letting towns buy their way out of the requirements, New Jersey must find ways to improve affordable housing regulations to provide adequate homes for all residents.

Find this article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20100330_Editorial__Housing_teardown.html

Governor puts freeze on COAH activities

2010-02-10T06:51:00.001-05:00

Governor puts freeze on COAH activities

By BETH DeFALCO

Associated Press

TRENTON

Gov. Chris Christie took a step Tuesday toward revamping the way the state mandates affordable housing by freezing all activities of a state board until a task force he created can review the agency.

Christie had promised during his election campaign last year that he would offer mayors relief from the mandates ordered by the Council on Affordable Housing.

On Tuesday, he created the five-member task force, led by Marcia Karrow, a former Republican legislator from Hunterdon County, that will examine the council and recommend reforms within 90 days.

“Effectively, COAH has been shut down,” Christie said in announcing the task force.

Courts have found towns have an obligation to provide homes for lower-income people, and the council was formed to implement those rulings. But many towns have been reluctant to build the cheaper units, saying that requiring affordable housing is a prime example of a court meddling in social engineering.

Earlier rules required municipalities to approve a unit of affordable housing for every eight market-rate homes that were built, and an affordable home for every 25 jobs created. That number changed to require one out of every five new housing units.

Mayors in many towns say the council’s oversight has slowed and, in some cases, prevented them from building affordable housing.

If towns don’t file plans that meet the state requirements, they can be sued by land developers. When builders win in court, they get the right to put up homes at a higher density than otherwise would be al- lowed.

“In short, the message to municipalities in New Jersey is that their COAH nightmare is over,” the governor said. “We’re going to make sure development gets placed back into the hands of local municipalities to make these kind of decisions.” Specifically, Christie’s task force will consider the best means for determining a municipality’s housing obligation. It will also con- sider ways to incorporate disabled and work-force housing, as well as redevelopment of existing housing units, in the obligation formula.

The task force will also consider whether suburban towns should be allowed to pay cities to take their required affordable housing allotments. In 2008, Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed a bill outlawing the practice, but there has been a recent push among lawmakers to allow communities that already had agreements to go through with them so housing can be built.

Advocates acknowledge that the current system is imperfect, but they argue that the council has succeeded in getting affordable housing units that otherwise would not have been built. They say Christie’s task force will cause delays. According to the Fair Share Housing Center, 57 municipalities have received initial certifications for housing plans that could be put on hold by Christie’s action. The advocacy group said it would file an appeal of the executive order.

Peter J. O’Connor, executive director of the center, said Christie’s order “puts thousands of homes — and jobs — at risk at a time when the low-cost housing sector is the strongest part of the real estate market.”

Efforts to renew a brownfields tract elude Palmyra

2010-01-27T07:20:00.000-05:00

Posted on Tue, Jan. 26, 2010

Efforts to renew a brownfields tract elude Palmyra

By Maya Rao

Inquirer Staff Writer

The riverfront borough of Palmyra believed it had finally found The One.

A developer, i.Park Palmyra L.L.C., was offering the strongest commitment the borough had received to transform 189 acres on the south side of Route 73 into a revitalized gateway to Burlington County from Philadelphia. Other companies had backed out twice in recent years.

With assurances of stimulus for the South Jersey economy and the creation of hundreds of jobs, the company signed an agreement in March. It paid $150,000 up front to turn the contaminated site into a $563 million mix of condos, shops, offices, and an expo center.

Today, the land is still fallow, i.Park Palmyra is gone, and its point man on the job is hooking up with another city 10 miles up the Delaware.

"It's been a real disaster, and it's been a real disappointment," said Erik Rucker, an equity partner in i.Park Palmyra.

Days after Palmyra ended the redevelopment agreement last month, Burlington City authorized Rucker's company, the Chicago Group, to redevelop 100 acres that once were home to a pipe foundry. Tenants and engineers who had lined up for the Palmyra deal are following him to his new project.

They leave behind an equally disgusted Palmyra Mayor John Gural, and a deal that has proven as toxic as the contaminated land for which it was planned.

Redevelopment of Palmyra's state-designated Brownfield Development Area - a contaminated site that the state works to have remediated and reused - has been the most difficult of any such area he's heard of in New Jersey, said Ian Curtis, a BDA manager.

"I don't think any one party is at fault, and I don't think any one party is blameless," said Curtis, who works for the Department of Environmental Protection.

Problems with remediating and securing ownership of the land, disputes about the developer's obligations, and a clash of personalities between Gural and Rucker - "bulls in a china shop, both of them," one observer put it - dimmed prospects early.

Palmyra has sought for the better part of a decade to redevelop the site, which was contaminated by its use as a landfill. The borough has received $7.5 million in cleanup money from the state.

Even in the boom years of real estate, two major companies sank hundreds of thousands of dollars into the project only to walk away.

Then a Connecticut company, National RE/sources, formed i.Park Palmyra to oversee development of a 200,000-square-foot exposition and convention center, up to one million square feet of commercial and office space, 296 townhouses, 176 condo units, and more.

In return, i.Park Palmyra was to pay the borough an up-front sum, in addition to $10,000 a month and reimbursement of bills by borough lawyers and environmental consultants. Payments would also go toward a new community center.

In a sour economy, it was a good deal for the borough, which had little but time to lose if things went bad.

Those involved said the borough expected National RE/sources president Joseph Cotter to take the lead. But, they said, he operated at a distance and had Rucker be the point man. And Rucker said he didn't work for National RE/sources because i.Park Palmyra was a joint venture with his company.

It wasn't until after the agreement was signed that i.Park Palmyra realized it didn't concur with all its terms.

Rucker pointed to the failure of past developers as evidence that the borough shares substantial blame for not seeing the site developed.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged, "the problem I'm having is that I didn't think this through well enough."

Gural said, "I won't dispute that I'm not an easy person to get along with, and I'm a very hard negotiator - but again, that's why I'm mayor."

The problems were there from the start. Two weeks before the agreement was signed, the tract's largest landowner had sued Palmyra, challenging its designation of the 104-acre property as "in need of redevelopment." That designation - which can be granted if a site is found to be blighted or obsolete - allows a town to take land by eminent domain if necessary.

But the borough and i.Park Palmyra said they didn't learn of the suit by Fillit Corp. until after they signed.

"Until this is resolved, the redevelopment for the project is dead," Rucker said in a June 12 e-mail to Palmyra Solicitor Ted Rosenberg.

So, according to Rucker, lawyers advising the company said it should not have to pay the first $10,000, due on June 1.

Rucker said in an e-mail to borough officials that $10,000 was small compared to what was on the table, noting i.Park Palmyra's progress. Gural e-mailed back: "To state '$10,000.00 looks very small compared to what is on the table' after having failed to pay it is asinine and arrogant."

Rucker said the firm then decided to pay the $10,000, to not hold up the project.

While the suit named no developer as a defendant, Rucker nevertheless approached Fillit with an offer of $5.2 million to take the property off Fillit's hands if it would drop the lawsuit, out of a desire to keep the project moving and compensate Fillit.

Fillit attorney Darryl Caplan said he was ready to sign a sale agreement when Rucker abruptly disappeared.

Those involved dispute the others' explanations.

Rucker said Gural was angry about the offer and told him he was interfering with a suit that the borough would win, so he backed off. Gural said he wanted Rucker to reach a deal but was concerned when he learned from Cotter that Rucker was not authorized to negotiate. Cotter would not comment on that; Rucker said he did have the authority.

What is known is that on Sept. 23, Rucker e-mailed the real estate broker and said that after a lengthy discussion with principals of National RE/sources, his Chicago Group would withdraw its offer until the suit was resolved.

In the meantime, i.Park Palmyra had become concerned about new state guidelines that called for greater oversight of remedial actions for contaminated sites.

One challenging part of the parcel was its second-largest area, the location of unexploded ordnance from Army testing in the 1940s. The site is mostly cleaned up and the DEP says it can become usable, but Rucker said he worried that building there was not worth the rise in costs of insurance, financing, and other areas.

And i.Park Palmyra was realizing that 90 percent of the land it needed had problems. So it questioned why it had to make the monthly payments and reimburse the borough's professionals for services it had not necessarily asked for, and for work it often disputed.

Gural, for his part, was becoming increasingly skeptical of Rucker and sought to have Cotter become more involved.

"We wanted to deal with the people we signed a deal with, which is Joe Cotter and National RE/sources, period," he said.

By fall, the project was on the brink.

A Sept. 29 council meeting was called to discuss the borough's dissatisfaction, particularly with i.Park Palmyra's nonpayment of $29,177.85 in professional bills.

Cotter came from Connecticut with a lawyer to try to smooth over the tensions. They arrived late. Gural made it clear that he would not have the project continue as long as Rucker was involved, according to a recording of the meeting.

Cotter sought to assuage him, saying he had replaced Rucker. "I realize we feel we've lost a little bit of time, but I think if we put this back together in short order, there's still a lot to happen," he said.

Councilman Robert Bostock wanted to know: "When do we get the $29,000 to take care of this issue?"

"I'll FedEx it tomorrow," Cotter promised.

Then, say those involved, he vanished, not responding to calls, e-mails or letters. The borough never got the $29,177.85.

Rucker said he and Cotter were not comfortable with the bills they were asked to reimburse.

Rucker said he tried to resurrect the project through Rosenberg, but Gural wanted him off it.

In an interview, Cotter repeatedly deflected questions about how he had notified Palmyra about walking away from the project, saying the more important issue was that the borough had not been able to get rights to the land.

"I think our position was, please advise us when one can settle the litigation and enable us to acquire or convey us the properties. That's really the problem," he said.

Now a three-time divorcée, Palmyra is on the hunt again for a developer after collecting $1 million or so from its past partners.

Rucker, for his part, wants to stay in Burlington County. For the Burlington City project, he has hired Palmyra's former special projects engineer, Pennoni Associates Inc., and Sadat Associates, hired by the borough last year at i.Park Palmyra's urging to do environmental work.

"I think Erik [Rucker]walked away learning a lot from this project," said Curtis of the DEP. "He strikes me as a very up-front, honest businessman."

Rucker met with Burlington City officials last week to talk about the development, and spokesman John Alexander reported smooth progress.

"Everyone was smiling," he said.

Town center gives hope to Somerdale boosters

2010-01-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

January 12, 2010

By WILFORD S. SHAMLIN
Courier-Post Staff

Lions Head Plaza fell into decline in the 1980s and has struggled to recover from bankruptcies that shuttered the Caldor and Ames department stores, two of the shopping center's former anchors.

Situated on 52 acres just off the White Horse Pike, the shopping center was not easily seen from the road by motorists traveling the busy east-west corridor.

Now Somerdale officials are working a new strategy they hope brings success to the long struggling shopping center that involves creating a pedestrian-friendly town center featuring a mix of retail shops, restaurants, townhouses and apartments.

Renamed Cooper Towne Center, the 385,000-square-foot shopping center will be anchored by a 190,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, 16-screen Cinemark movie theater complex and 40,000-square-foot LA Fitness.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter here will look a bit different than most of its stores.

Mayor Gary Passanante made a pledge in writing that the community would support the project on the condition that Wal-Mart change its traditional facade to match and blend in with the town center concept.

The mayor reached out to the community, inviting residents in Somerdale and Magnolia to a public forum. The borough gained support by incorporating ideas floated during that forum and subsequent meetings into design plans for the town center.

Jennifer Hoehn, spokeswoman for Wal-Mart in New Jersey, said the company was simply complying with local ordinances.

"We have a national brand that we're very proud of," Hoehn said. "That brand has consistently been a part of the majority of our approvals."

Wal-Mart officials had toured Somerdale when it was considering a South Jersey location but decided first to seek approval to build at the Echelon Mall in Voorhees. When Wal-Mart encountered a strong public outcry from Voorhees residents, Passanante invited the retailer back for a second look.

The idea for a town center has been discussed by Somerdale officials since 2000, and is now taking shape. Officials say the $40 million-plus project will bring in millions of dollars in new tax revenue for Somerdale and Magnolia and could spur revitalization on the White Horse Pike.

Moviegoers will be greeted by a courtyard with benches, wide sidewalks, landscaping, curbside parking and corralling area for dropping off or picking up passengers. All but a small portion sits in Somerdale. The remainder lies in Magnolia.

"It has been so rewarding for me to see my vision come true after all these years and know it will benefit our residents for years," Passanante said.

"The additional tax revenue that we're going to see is going to be tremendous as a result of this project. For me, it's like the icing on the cake," he added. "It's been a long, hard road and a lot of bumps along the way. But it was all worth it now that I see it coming to life.

Passanante said he expected a center with that type of "strength and vitality" would encourage outside developers to take a serious look at the area.

"And I already see it happening," he said.

John Orrico, president of National Realty & Development Corp., said the development has become the catalyst for the redevelopment of a bunch of parcels along the White Horse Pike."

"And as we're starting to hear now, some adjoining property-owners are starting to get inquiries for their adjoining parcels," he said.

National Realty, which is managing the Cooper Towne Plaza project, owns shopping centers, corporate business centers and residential communities in 16 states, encompassing more than 22 million square feet.

Orrico said the company is negotiating with officials representing three restaurants, two national chains and a local company with three locations. The eateries, he said, are the final element in creating a pedestrian-friendly courtyard near the cinema.

Road improvements were completed as part of the project and a traffic signal was installed at the main entrance to Cooper Towne Center on Evesham Road.

About 30 new family-rental units will be built at Cooper Towne Center and there are plans to build 120 market-rate townhouses on Evesham Road.

The grand opening for the shopping center will coincide with Wal-Mart's opening in June or July.

Last week, heavy gym equipment was carted from tractor-trailers inside LA Fitness.

Although several storefronts remained vacant, Voorhees resident Joe Watkins, 71, said he was impressed with facade renovations and efforts to bring in new retailers.

"This is going to be real nice when it's complete," Watkins said.

Watkins said he has been shopping for bargains at the Lions Head Plaza for at least eight years and plans to shop at the Wal-Mart after it opens.

He was, however, skeptical about the notion that the shopping center improvements will trigger a revitalization among stores along the White Horse Pike. He, instead, predicted the former Lions Head Plaza would do well because it is just off the White Horse Pike and said heavy traffic discourages him and many others from shopping on the pike.

Bryan Minerva, 19, and his friend Eric Otero, 20, both of Runnemede, have both been coming to the former Lions Head Plaza for nearly 10 years, first as elementary school pupils. They say they can see the shopping center beginning to turn around.

They remember hanging out with friends at a pizza shop and a Chinese restaurant that was known for its good food. Both eateries are gone now, but Otero said he wanted to see new restaurants and saw potential for a turnaround.

"It's definitely nicer than it used to be," Otero said.

Reach Wilford S. Shamlin at (856) 486-2475 or wshamlin@courierpostonline.com

Maple Shade seeks to revitalize building

2009-11-30T10:11:00.000-05:00

posted without permission from the Courier Post

Maple Shade seeks to revitalize building

By JEREMY ROSEN
Courier-Post Staff

Plans are in the works for a developer to revitalize a block in the heart of Maple Shade.

Township officials hope that revamping a dormant building on a block of West Main Street between Lippincott and Terrace avenues will energize its stagnant downtown.

George Haeuber, township manager, said Maple Shade has wanted a developer to do something with the privately owned building, the majority of which has been vacant for the past several years.

"We tried to let the market do its thing and nothing has happened," he said. "We're really in the early stages, but making it into a redevelopment area should expedite some activity."

Mark Remsa, Burlington County director of economic development and planning, is drafting a revitalization plan for that block per request of the township council and planning board.

"We've concluded that the area qualifies as a redevelopment area," he said. "The goals are to revitalize that one block dominated by that huge building."

Several of the building's Main Street storefronts are occupied, but officials said the rear of the building has been shut down and has been ruled chemically contaminated by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The contamination, officials said, was caused by a printing and graphics business that last operated in the closed-off portion of the two-story warehouse building.

The building's owner couldn't be reached last week for comment.

Other physical characteristics of the building and DEP reports couldn't be obtained last week from local and state officials.

Haeuber, Remsa and Councilman Rob Wells said the owners of the building are on board with a redevelopment plan.

With most of the building dilapidated for years in the heart of downtown, Wells said the township had a responsibility to step in with a plan.

"This is the best thing for the owners and occupants," he said. "This'll help to further commerce to provide necessary tools to make downtown a successful economy."

Wells, a resident of about 40 years, said Maple Shade's Main Street is functioning somewhere between the effectiveness of Woodbury's struggling downtown and Collingswood's thriving business district. He said it is trial and error for Maple Shade, between the Cherry Hill and Moorestown malls, to develop an attractive identity for businesses and people.

John Fuss, manager of By The Lb. deli that opened on Main Street in late August, said he hopes to help make downtown more interactive and walkable by initiating outdoor dining next year.

Fuss said Remsa's redevelopment plan is "something people need."

"I think if they get something in there it will turn it around," he said.

Around 30 percent of Maple Shade's business district is vacant, officials said.

The organization Main Street Maple Shade lists seven available commercial properties on its Web site.

Officials said Remsa's redevelopment plan should help position a potential developer to receive competitive state and federal development aid.

Other financing tools, like local tax abatements or payment in lieu of taxes are possible with redevelopment, Remsa said.

Remsa intends to submit in January a draft of his redevelopment plan to members of the Maple Shade council and planning board. If the plan is accepted by local officials, Remsa said he'd finalize the plan that would be adopted into local ordinance, which would minimize variances needed for a developer.

Reach Jeremy Rosen at (856) 486-2456 or jrosen@camden.gannett.com

Juster Development Company

2009-10-22T15:45:00.002-04:00

http://www.justerdevelopment.com/stratford%20main%20page1.htm

These fine folks that have zero interest in improving the Bradlees Shopping Center in Stratford.

Bradlees Shopping Center

2009-10-22T14:42:00.003-04:00

thanks to the Juster Development Corporation.

2009-10-15T13:37:00.001-04:00

2009-10-15T12:03:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure if I have broken any laws while taking this picture.

Laurel Mills

2009-10-15T11:58:00.001-04:00

The much needed redevelopment in Stratford is once again put on hold.

a little experiment in photojournalism

2009-10-15T11:37:00.002-04:00

I decided that with a little time on my hands and an unexpected day off, I took a few shots of the Laurel Mills shopping center.