Council adopted an ordinance to vacate a portion of Evans Lane near the proposed development site and approved a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with 1721 Springdale Urban Renewal Associates LLC.
Cherry Hill Township Council adopted two ordinances at last Monday’s meeting in connection with a proposed affordable housing development on Springdale Road.
Last December, the Planning Board adopted a site plan for the Jewish Federation of South Jersey to construct a 160-unit affordable housing development at 1721 Springdale Road. The development would consist of two buildings constructed on the same property as the Jewish Federation’s annex building. Eighty percent of the development will be allocated for seniors and 20 percent for adults with supportive needs.
As part of the approved site plan, a recommendation was made to township council to pass an ordinance vacating a 1.1-acre portion of Evans Lane. Located in the Old Orchard section of the township, Evans Lane turns into a dirt road shortly past the Old Orchard Swim Club. The road runs near the rear of the proposed Jewish Federation housing development and later behind the adjacent Springhouse Farm.
Only the portion of the road running through 1721 Springdale Road and farm properties is being vacated.
“That property will become half Springhouse Farm, which will be preserved forever, and half a permanent buffer,” council president Dave Fleisher said in discussing the ordinance.
Resident Patty Magnus spoke critically against the proposed development and raised a number of questions as to why the township needed to vacate a portion of Evans Lane.
“That portion of property is used by residents as a bike path to access the Kresson Road bike trails and also to get to the current athletic fields that are at the annex,” Magnus said.
Mayor Chuck Cahn said the township does not own the 1.1-acre portion of Evans Lane being vacated, it simply has the right of way through the area.
“It’s not all of Evans Lane,” Cahn said about the vacated portion of the road. “It would only go to the dead end.”
The site plan for the housing development calls for the vacated portion of the road to act as a buffer between nearby neighborhoods and 1721 Springdale Road.
Council also adopted a separate ordinance to set up an agreement with the owner of the future development, 1721 Springdale Urban Renewal Associates LLC, for payment in lieu of taxes.
Urban renewal entities such as Springdale Urban Renewal who develop low- and moderate-income housing projects are eligible to receive property tax exemptions, according to state law. The state’s long-term tax exemption law allows municipalities to negotiate financial agreements with urban renewal entities in lieu of collecting property taxes.
The adopted ordinance would set up an agreement where Springdale Urban Renewal will pay the township 5 percent of its annual gross revenue from the housing development. Out of that money, the township will send 5 percent of the annual charge to Camden County. The agreement would not take effect until the development is ready for occupancy.
Resident Brian Everett said he supported the proposed development and the ordinance, but asked council to consider adding more affordable housing directed toward families to foster more inclusivity in the township.
“I highly recommend a search for an increased effort to bring family units to our township rather than age or special needs units,” Everett said.
