The Hammonton Gazette 02/22/17 Edition | Page 4

PLANNING , from Page 1

Subsection 14 of the current ordinance states that uses permitted in the H-B zoning district include : “ hospitals , which shall include any inpatient or outpatient / ambulatory care medical use , including but not limited to acute care , rehabilitation , nursing home or assisted-living services , outpatient medical offices and clinics , diagnostic services including imaging

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centers and clinical laboratory services , sleep labs , specialized medical treatment services such as surgical centers , cancer treatment , lithotripsy , wound care , physical therapy , hospice or home-care services and medical day care ; and ancillary and accessory uses , including , but not limited to , helipads , parking , employee day care , gift and coffee shops and administrative offices and offices for either affiliated or non-affiliated professionals .”

If the ordinance is adopted , any of the aforementioned facilities would no longer be considered a permitted use and would therefore have to appear before the zoning board of adjustment , according to planning board member and Councilman Joseph Giralo .

Board solicitor James Schroeder referred to the proposed ordinance amendment as “ a common-sense thing ” because it would allow the town to receive the opportunity to review these types of land use applications and ensure that the H-B zoning district does not become overpopulated with them .

“ This is something that has really grown all over the place . You see it growing as a land-use perspective . This is going to give the town a little bit more control on what goes where … It isn ’ t targeting [ medical facilities ] so much as , again , being able to make sure that a section isn ’ t overrun with medical facilities , or maybe to be able to cluster them together ,” Schroeder said .

Both Schroeder and Giralo mentioned on multiple occasions that the proposed ordinance amendment does not make it impossible for the listed health care facilities to enter the H-B zone ,

Wednesday , February 22 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3

Plan bd . OKs removal of subsection for hospitals in H-B district

but the zoning board would possess an added layer of oversight and receive the opportunity to confirm whether or not the proposed facilities are complementary to one another and with the pre-existing health care facilities in the H-B zoning district .

A motion to pass the proposed ordinance was made by board member Gordon Pherribo , seconded by board member Paul Esposito and approved . Board member Linda Byrnes and board vice-chair Kristyn Kent both voted “ no ” on the ordinance . Kent voted against the motion because she didn ’ t think it seemed like a good idea to potentially limit the amount of health care options in town , especially due to its large baby boomer population ( 53 to 71 years-old ) that often needs extra medical attention and care .

“ I guess I ’ m just leaning towards the idea that baby boomers are the biggest population growing and … I mean , this is a huge business , so why would we eliminate the choice that people have in our town necessarily and put them through this layer when obviously the market can choose who is going to succeed and who ’ s not ?” Kent said .

Byrnes said she didn ’ t agree with the decision to remove the ordinance subsection entirely , rather than substituting with it a

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“ Couldn ’ t mayor and council , instead of asking us just to eliminate this , bring something to us that they ’ d like to substitute , to specifically write some kind of parameters for us to follow ? … It would have been better to see something written to give us parameters why or what we would accept without that extra layer to not deter those kind of services to the town ,” Byrnes said . According to Giralo , the ordinance will receive a first reading at the February town council meeting on February 27 at 7 p . m . in town hall chambers .

Schroeder said he believes that having this type of ordinance in place for the zoning board to review and work with is a testament of a well-functioning board and that it will create a level of balance when it comes to the town ’ s determination of land use .

“ It is not good to be a board that just says ‘ yes ’ to everything because then you get a town that is mismatched and it is a mess . It is also not good to be a town that says ‘ no ’ to everything ; you are going to destroy your business climate , people are not going to come here and you are not going to turn over … The boards I think are the sweet spot , that do a good

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As many of you know , our extended Melora family is building a business in town . Vinyl Brewing will be located at 300 12th Street and plans to open some time in the fall . With heavy hearts we announce that Behind the Moon will be closing its doors so the family can better focus on this new adventure .

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Brooke , Pat , Julie ( Liz , Uncle Ben and Gabby too !) want to thank you for your support over the past three years . The connections we made and the community we created have brought us tremendous joy and added more meaning to our lives . Brooke will never disappear from our downtown and she will stay committed to the success of Hammonton as a whole , through her volunteer efforts , public service and community involvement .

We still have a wonderful assortment of goods on hand , come out and shop at 50 % off store wide through the end of the month .

- Behind the Moon Children ’ s Shop