Residents voiced concerns about the project’s influence on the township, particularly its encroachment a historic farm.
At its latest meeting, Gloucester Township Council passed an ordinance on second reading establishing an inclusionary affordable apartment overlay that will be built at 1495 Chews Landing Road.
Some 72 units are projected with 11 reserved for non-age restricted rental low- and moderate-income households, as defined by the Council on Affordable Housing.
Since Gloucester Township has entered into a settlement agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center, the ordinance is part of the township’s constitutional obligation through the township’s Affordable Housing Element.
The Fair Share Housing Center will serve as an intervener, requiring the township to reserve at least 15 percent of the units for low- and moderate-income use. Some 13 percent of the affordable housing units must be reserved for very low-income, which includes households earning 30 percent or less of regional median income by household size.
All low-income housing will not be concentrated in one building, but rather spread out throughout the apartment complex.
This is the first time in about a decade the township made affordable housing requirements, which council attributes to the organization’s frequently changing rules.
The township’s plan will be protected through 2025, as long as it continues to meet affordable housing constitutional obligations, which are outlined in the ordinance.
Council also passed an ordinance amending the Land Use Element of the township’s Master Plan for the parcels located at the site of the projected affordable housing complex. This adjustment was necessary, because the planning board had a constitutional obligation to accept the change due to legislation with the state, according to council.
Residents voiced concerns about the development, stressing the 72 units will contribute to overcrowded schools, congested traffic and increased air pollution. Members of the public also said the land across from 1495 Chews Landing is one of the last known farms in the township, saying the deployment will encroach upon the historic area.
The public asked if council would consider a new location for the project, but this parcel meets the Council on Affordable Housing requirements.
“We have (an) agreement with Fair Share Housing Center that we have to adhere to,” Council President Orlando Mercado said.
Township solicitor David Carlamere said it’s privately-owned property and the owner purchased with the intent of building properties.
“The person who owns it intervened in the Fair Share litigation that the township initiated, and part of his intervention was to argue to the court that he could produce 11 affordable housing units and met the zoning requirement,” Carlamere said.
The public suggested the township conduct eminent domain of the five-acre property, especially considering its proximity to a historic farm.
Calamere said there has to be a public purpose for the courts to approve a municipality’s condemnation process. The other approach is for the township to negotiate with the owner to purchase the property.
He also said the township compromised with the contractor while planning the development, including considering the preservation of open space.
In other news:
• Mayor David Mayer and Mercado passed a proclamation deeming April as Alcohol Awareness Month in Gloucester Township. The township officially joined the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc and the Camden County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Inc.
• Council passed a resolution authorizing an agreement between the township and Jerry & Sons Exc Inc. to construct phase 11 of the Gloucester Township Bicycle Path for $118,780, which was the lowest bid received.
• Council passed a resolution authorizing the agreement between the township and PlayPower Lt Farmington, Inc., establishing a $156,131.66 purchase for playground equipment, rubber surfacing and installation of playground equipment for State Park Street.
• Council approved the purchase of a playground structure with rubber surfacing through the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey. The equipment and installation, purchased by MRC INC., cost $86,377.07. Rubber surfacing and curbing, purchased by RubberRecylce, costs $35,315.
• Gloucester Township’s Office of Emergency management accepted a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant CFDA 20.703 from state police’s Office of Emergency Management. The subgrant encompasses a total of $11,900, which includes federal awards for enhancing the township’s ability to train personnel in response to accidents and incidents involving hazardous material between October 2017 and September.
