Could there be a two-pronged attack for the negotiation of the Bancroft property? Haddonfield commissioners rejected the Haddonfield School District’s request to be the designated redeveloper of the Bancroft campus, instead asking the organization to join together in a partnership for the joint public purchase of the 19-acre property.
In early February, the school district and borough commissioners met jointly to discuss the issue. Board President Steve Weinstein proposed the commissioners pass a redevelopment plan that would allow the board to take the lead in purchasing the campus and negotiate with Bancroft to purchase the property.
It would be owned by the district, he said, but certain parcels could be deeded to the borough or used for other aspects, such as ratables, he said.
Mayor Tish Colombi said the decision was reached early last week.
There are just too many legal restrictions for a school district to be the lead agency in a redevelopment project, the mayor said.
“They can’t negotiate many of the things that the borough or the township can in regard to this project. We just felt that we absolutely want to partner with them for this and I believe nothing they have planned for the area is off the table at this point,” she said. “We would never consider doing anything there without consulting with them or working with them. It’s critical that the land contiguous to the high school should go to the school district — that’s a non-issue with me.”
“Based on how the redevelopment plan works and how the laws control it, it would not work,” she added.
Borough Solicitor Mario Iavicoli counseled the commissioners on their decision, Colombi said. The school district would also find it difficult legally to apply for county open-space funding and other open-space applications, she said.
The district would not be able to legally spend any money on the process without first having it approved by borough voters through a referendum as well.
The board of education discussed the commissioners decision and came to the conclusion there would have to be more details provided to the district about what the borough wishes to do with the property before it can sit down at a negotiations table.
Board member Cheryl Laney said it was imperative for the school district to understand exactly how much of the property it would receive from the purchase. The district is currently “bursting at its seams,” Laney said, and needs more than just a few acres for a football field.
The board agreed with Laney’s statement and authorized Weinstein to reach out to the borough to discuss more details before agreeing to anything on redevelopment.
Superintendent of Schools Rich Perry said it was extremely important for the district to stay involved in the process.
“We shouldn’t limit our options with this property. We need to look to the future for the school district,” he said. “That piece of property next to the high school is extremely important. We’re pretty much landlocked in this town.”
