Dear Neighbors,
There are quite a few things going on around town
involving the airport, the election and several smaller items. In this
issue, you will find a significant update on the airport and a laundry list of other
interesting bits of information. In about a week or so, I am going to send
out another special edition newsletter that focuses on the 2003 Municipal
Election only.
Department of Transportation Acts on the
Airport: There has been quite a flurry of activity on the airport in
the past month. First, the owners of the South Jersey Regional Airport (SJRA) filed a law
suit against
the county for not acting on a request to sub-divide the property. The
Philadelphia Inquirer quoted a spokesman for the airport who came out and
confirmed that the airport's owner is working on selling the airport to the
state. Around the same time, the mayor held a press conference stating
that he was introducing a bill into the New Jersey Assembly that would place a
lot of restrictions on airport expansions based on proximity to homes and
population centers. The chairman of the Assembly's Transportation
Committee agreed to take action on this right after the election. Finally
last week, the Department of Transportation selected the "No Build"
option for the airport.
So what does all this mean? Although the
outcome is still not certain, it looks like the state will purchase the
airport. The airport will fall under the Department of Transportation
(DOT). The DOT will continue to operate the airport through a
private contract. The state will not shut the airport down
because the FAA has invested a lot of money in the airport and has designated it
as reliever airport for Philadelphia International Airport. The township
will lose a significant amount of tax revenue with the airport moving from
private to government ownership. If this
all plays out, then it looks like the SJRA will not expand.
New Recreation Committee: The
Township Committee will be voting on a new ordinance that creates a permanent
Recreation Committee to help plan and run recreational programs and
events. The township currently has an "ad hoc" committee that
has been focused on developing requirements for and putting together a plan for the new recreation
facility next to the municipal building. With this task now in the hands
of professional planners, the "ad hoc" committee will be
disbanded. If you are interested in being on the committee, you typically
need to send your resume with a letter or email to the township administrator
stating your interest.
Parking Problems in Maple Grove:
Many of the residents of Maple Grove are not happy with the large number of cars
parked at the entrance to Maple Grove off Route 38. The construction at
Miller Ford has caused a lot of people who walk the Miller lot to park on both sides of
Maple Grove Boulevard making the driving lanes very narrow and prone for
accidents. Because the local ordinance allows for parking on Maple Grove
Boulevard, the police are limited as to what they can do. At the October 6th Township Committee working session, Paul Mitchell
requested that the local parking ordinance be changed to create a no parking
area between Route 38 and Burgundy Circle. Parking would still be allowed
from that point on. This type of change needs to be approved by the
Township Committee and Burlington County so if it comes to fruition, it is
probably a couple of months away.
TDR Controversy at Coventry Glenn:
This story is a couple years in the making, but it is interesting, so please read
on. When Coventry Glenn was originally planned several years ago, the
Planning Board did not want back yards facing Creek Road. They envisioned
the white fence look to match Spots Farm on the other side of Creek Road with
home fronts in the background. To achieve this, the Planning Board asked
Orleans to put in a small feeder road that would be parallel to Creek
Road. Orleans did not want to do this. Instead, Orleans offered five
"dual front" homes along Creek Road. The dual front homes would
have a front facade on both sides of the house. The homeowners would be
prohibited from putting certain common items in their back yards such as
swimming pools, swing sets, and etc. so that the houses would look good from both the subdivision street and Creek Road.
Some of these items would still be allowed in the side yard. After some time on the
market, Orleans decided to change plans. (This is probably because nobody wanted a
"dual front" home.)
Last summer, Orleans came back to a new Planning
Board and offered to dedicate this land along Creek Road to the township and
move the five proposed houses to the final phase of Coventry Glenn on the old Kumple Farm.
Later, the Planning Board approved an additional seven homes for Coventry Glen
and waived the requirement for Orleans to purchase additional TDR
credits. (If you are not familiar with TDR, see the September issue
of Lumberton E-News - TDR
Explained.)
After about a year of questioning the Planning
Board on these changes with little success, Dewitt Pennypacker went around the Planning Board and
got the Township Committee to request a written opinion from the Planning
Board's attorney. Dewitt has been asserting that the the Planning Board
violated the TDR laws by granting a waiver for TDR credits for seven houses and overbuilding the
Kumple Farm area by 12 houses (Five planned houses from along Creek Road the
seven connected to the waived TDR credits). Others have raised concerns that Orleans sold part of the land that was to be
dedicated to the township as open space along Creek Road by making two
adjoining lots larger. Both of those homes were sold with a lot premium.
Left uncorrected, the township will end up with at least 14
less acres
of preserved open space than was originally planned. Finally, I have
been told that the written
opinion from the Planning Board's attorney is complete, but I was denied a
copy. The township cited attorney-client privilege.
Speeding on Main Street: About eight
residents who live on Main Street between the cemetery and the creek were at
the October 6th Township Committee working session. They were expressing
concern for the large number of people speeding while driving into town on Main
Street from the
Medford area. The speed limit slows from 50 to 35 mph in this area and the
road curves. Each of the residents told stories of cars driving through
their homes, hitting trees on their lawn, and a double fatality two years
ago. They asked the township to step up enforcement of the speed limit and
not just with the radar gun on a trailer. They asked for the police to be
present more and to hand out real tickets. The mayor and committee
acknowledged the problem and promised help.
New Recreation Center: The township
committee along with two members of the "ad hoc" recreation committee
and township staff are in the process of evaluating proposals from developers for
the new recreation center. They reviewed three proposals and are scheduled
to review three more at a special meeting later this month. The township
has also completed the appraisals on the Raab Farm next to the municipal center
which is planned to be part of the new recreation facility. The appraisals
were sent off to the state Green Acres Program for review and potential
funding. The project is being planned in phases. Construction
of Phase 1 is scheduled to start in the spring of 2005.
Halloween Parade: The township
Halloween Party/Parade will be held on October 25th from 2- 4 pm at
Walther School. The parade will begin at 2:00 sharp. Prizes will be awarded to the top 5
costumes. Volunteers are wanted to help set up and run some of the
stations. If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact Maryann
Regn at LumbertonRec@LumbertonTwp.com.
That's all I know for now. Please stay
tuned to your inbox. The 2003 Lumberton Election Special Edition will be out in
the next week or so. As always, please keep sharing this newsletter with
your friends and neighbors.
Patrick Delany
Founder & Editor
Lumberton E-News
