Dear Neighbors,
I know I promised that my next issue would be "TDR Explained";
it is coming but not right now.
It is a work in
progress. I am actively researching it and interviewing people. It
should be ready in about two weeks. However, there is enough other news in
town that I decided to send out another issue in the interim. So, please enjoy.
Open Space Tax Referendum: The
township committee passed a resolution to place a referendum on the Fall Ballot
to increase the township's Open Space Tax from 1 cent per $100 of assessed value
to 3 cents. The tax increase will be for two years only and will revert
back to 1 cent after the second year. The tax will be designated for
purchasing open space. The measure passed
3-2. The two Republican members of the committee unsuccessfully argued for a smaller 1 cent
increase without a sunset provision which would leave the tax increase in effect
indefinitely. They both argued that the township
will be facing a very large school tax increase next year and that recreation
will need the money for more than two years so the sunset provision does not
make sense. The existing one cent tax
has raised approximately $186,000 in the three years since it was adopted.
The Open Space Tax Increase will become law if a majority of voters approve the
referendum in November.
Mount Holly Water Company) Rate
Increase: The Mount Holly Water Company proposed
a 29.2% rate increase for Lumberton customers. They will hold a public
hearing on this in the Fall. The rate increase would take effect in the
Spring. Dewitt Pennypacker recommended that the township work with a
consortium of neighboring towns to fight the increase. He added that this
was done successfully in the past resulting in a more moderate increase than the
Mount Holly Water Company was pushing. The township committee agreed and is going to write a
letter stating our opposition to the increase and contact neighboring towns to
get support for legal opposition to the increase.
County Estates Phase 3 Update: Ryan
Homes presented their site plan for County Estates Phase 3 to the Planning Board
again on August 7th. The original presentation was rejected, but the tape
recorder was not working so they were given a second shot. In the two
months between presentations, Ryan Homes did their homework and changed their
tactic for presenting. The developer requested a variance to build three
story, 36 foot tall buildings. The township's building code does not
permit three story buildings or buildings over 35 feet. Ryan argued that
their preference is for these higher value three story units because they are
more marketable and will have a higher market value (approximately $185,000),
but if the Planning Board rejects this request, they have prior approvals and
intend to build lower value two story townhouses. The two story units will
have the same number of bedrooms, but with less living space. The initial
retail price for two story units was stated to be approximately $165,000.
The Planning Board rejected the variance by a vote of 5-3. The reasons
cited for rejecting the variance were varied but the most consistent was
concerns that they will not be consistent with the rest of the development and
will appear more like high rise units. After the vote, Ryan re-iterated
it's intentions to build 119 of the two story townhouses.
Richmond Avenue Overhaul: The
township received a Community Development Block Grant for $74,000 to add
sidewalks and curbs to Richmond Avenue. Richmond Avenue is located on
the northern edge Lumberton off of Madison Avenue just before the hospital.
(Yes - this is still Lumberton). The township engineer will be walking
Richmond Avenue the evening of September 3rd from 7:00 - 9:00 PM to survey the
trees in the area. There are lot of large trees in the area and some
will probably have to come down to make way for the sidewalks and curbs.
More Development Updates
Meadow
Glen: At one of the meetings, the township's
construction code official mentioned that almost all the houses in the Meadow Glen
development are so large in relation to their lot size, that almost any
additions or decks will require a variance.
Family Service Center: A new family
services center is under construction on Chestnut Street across the road from
the Walther School towards
Route 38. .The land is zoned for industrial
buildings. The Family Services Center is a non-profit organization so it
will not pay any property taxes. However, it will make an annual payment in lieu of
taxes, but this is
usually a fraction of the tax ratable that would have been collected
from a commercial enterprise. The owner of the land donated the land to
the Family Services Center. The Family Service center will provide several
services including family counseling and programs for troubled youths.
In Front of the Board: The
following items have been continued and as of the last Planning Board Meeting
are slated to be on the agenda for the September 9th
Planning Board. However, these may or may not
actually be heard on September 9th. It is very common for specific agenda
items to be continued from month to month at the request of the applicant.
Foxcoft
Estates: The developer will present the site plan for a seven house
development on the west side of Ark Road. For more details, please see the August
5th Lumberton E-News.
Cellular
Tower: T-Mobile will re-present their site plan for a 300 foot
cellular tower behind the municipal center. For more details, please see
the June 9th Lumberton
E-News.
Thanks again for reading. The next
issue will be "TDR Explained". I promise. Until
then, have a great Labor Day weekend!
Patrick Delany
Founder & Editor
Lumberton E-News
