Also, rundown shopping center on White Horse Pike was sold to the bank and construction is starting on Constitution Blvd.
At its Sept. 14 meeting, Berlin Borough Council passed an ordinance on first reading related to the Simone Farm acquisition, moving the borough one step closer toward preventing proposed residential development on the property.
The ordinance authorizes the purchase of the farm.
The acquisition, which was introduced last year, is a joint purchase between the borough and the Berlin Farmer’s Market of the farmland at 41 Clementon Road. The market currently occupies the property.
The borough, which plans to acquire 14 acres, will use funds its Open Space fund to make the purchase. The market will take over the other 10 acres.
After a Camden County planning board meeting next month, the sale will officially close.
“With us doing this joint partnership with the Farmer’s Market…we’ll actually see an increase in revenue from the property overall,” said Mayor Jim Bilella. “Because it’ll no longer be farmland, therefore the ratables will increase on the Farmer’s Market portion.”
This will offset the ratable loss that the borough will have when it sets aside the rest of the land as open space.
The 10-acre purchase by the Farmer’s Market will allow it to get rid of unsightly trailers. It’s planning to build a warehouse instead.
“It’s been a great project all around,” said Solicitor Howard Long. “It’s really going to be a monumental event to see us spending money from our dedicated Open Space fund.”
In other news:
-In mid-October, Council will publish its first annual newsletter, which will be sent to 4,000 residents on the borough’s postal routes. This effort is particularly geared toward seniors unfamiliar with social media and other online forms of outreach.
-For residents who are acclimated with the internet, the borough also recently initiated a constant contact email bulletin. Residents can sign up at: http://www.berlinnj.org/
-On Aug. 30, the rundown K-Mart shopping center on the White Horse Pike near Pine Avenue went to a sheriff’s sale where it was acquired by the bank. Bilella expressed concerns to the bank about the property’s overall safety, including potholes, broken lights, vandalism and trash. He hopes a developer who intends to build businesses suited for the town purchases the property.
-The reconstruction of Constitution Boulevard and Centennial Square was approved for a bid in the 2017 Road Program through NJDOT grant money.
-During August, the Berlin Police Department filed 100 investigative reports. It also made 12 drug arrests, 36 criminal arrests and 16 warrant arrests.
-The No Need to Speed Campaign encompassed the entire length of Constitution Boulevard, South Franklin between Clementon Road and the soccer fields and the entire length of Clementon Road.
-Council hopes to open the Community Center for open gym in the beginning of October. If attendance warrants, they can open earlier on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m.
