The township is pulling a fast one.
When it comes to Zoning and Variances in Cherry Hill, residents and interested parties have the right to appeal to the governing party any final decision of a board of adjustment approving an application for development.
So if you think the old swim club or golf course should remain as open space instead of being be zoned for apartments or that the woods behind your house should not be cut down to create a solar farm, or you think the Zoning Board has simply made a bad decision, you have the right to appeal the decision to Council and you have the right to do so for free.
Folks who thought the Variance to put 152 apartments at the old ProBuild site was a bad decision were prepared to have their free appeal but the hearing was abruptly canceled and then Council let the clock run out. Now we must dig deeper into our pockets and pay an attorney to Appeal the decision and that’s outrageous.
But here’s the real outrage — the Cherry Hill Planning Board and the Mayor think its okay to amend the Zoning ordinance and remove the Appeal process completely. What this means is that the only way you can stop bad variance decisions is to go to court, IF you have the money.
You’ve got to pay to play if you want to have a say in Cherry Hill, and we already pay some of the highest taxes in the state. Why would Cherry Hill want to take away a basic right of ordinary citizens to have a say in the quality of their neighborhoods and Cherry Hill?
Do Council and the Mayor want to run things behind the scenes, making sure it’s all a “done deal” by the time you read about it in the mice type of the Legal Notices, should you have the time and the inclination?
Where’s the transparency in government Mayor Cahn and Council promised — this attempt to take away the right to have your say unless you can afford to pay sure sounds like politics to me.
I protest the Planning Board’s efforts to railroad citizens. I encourage Council to let the Appeal process stand and to represent all of Cherry Hill. Listen to the voice of the people and say no to pay to play.
Martha Wright
Cherry Hill
