At its final public session of the year, Haddonfield’s board of commissioners put the final stamp of approval on a series of ordinances, amending various borough codes, geared toward paving the way for affordable housing units to be built.
Two projects currently in the works are the Bancroft lot – where as many as 10 affordable units are planned for the site – as well as a parcel behind Borough Hall on Snowden Avenue upon which as many as 28 such units are planned.
In order to smooth the path to future construction and fully comply with state mandates as well as the terms of a settlement agreement between the borough and the Fair Share Housing Center, the first piece of legislation repealed the original Chapter 63 borough code regarding affordable housing and created a whole new code.
Also within the first ordinance, Chapter 135, Section 25.1 dealing with “affordable housing for any development producing five dwelling units or more” and Section 25.2 regarding “affordable housing as share of all development or redevelopment parcels of five or more acres” have been repealed.
“Basically, what we’re doing is, the old plan that we had in place will be replaced with this new plan. We had it approved by Fair Share Housing and also by the Court Master. So we’re going through the process of codifying the affordable-housing ordinances for borough of Haddonfield and thus ending our litigation,” said Mayor Neal Rochford.
The second piece of legislation allows for further alteration to Chapter 135 of borough codes regarding land development. Language in this ordinance creates eight separate “affordable housing overlay” districts throughout the downtown area, focusing on certain properties on a selection of roads, where additional affordable units may be constructed in the future.
“There are specific properties listed in the ordinance … on Haddon Avenue and Grove Street and there are three actual zoning changes, but this (ordinance) is making them all the same. The rest is setting up the affordable-housing overlay,” said Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough.
“What that means is, any of the parcels listed in this ordinance, and only the parcels listed in this ordinance, if they are to be re-developed … and if any portion of that redevelopment include a housing element – they would be required, regardless of the number of units of housing, they would be responsible for having affordable housing set aside.”
McCullough also stated that she was not aware of any current projects in the borough which would need the overlays, and that the ordinance would not require property owners in those areas to alter their properties, as they currently exist, due to the ordinance’s passing.
The board also unanimously passed six additional resolutions related to the administration of the above ordinances, named McCullough the borough’s Municipal Housing Liaison and tabbed Piazza and Associates the borough’s Administrative Agent for Affordable Housing Units.
In other news:
- Joseph Poliafico was officially welcomed into Haddon Fire Company No. 1’s Explorer Program.
- The board moved to approve Mayor Rochford as commissioner for the Southern New Jersey Regional Benefits Fund, and Sharon McCullough as alternate fund commissioner – effective Jan. 1 and lasting until Dec. 31, 2020.
- The triumvirate also approved a change order in the 2019 roads program for the reconstruction of Lincoln Avenue and Chestnut Street, under the supervision of Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc. of Hammonton, N.J. for the amount of $1,927,470.
