Page 4 • Wednesday , June 8 , 2022 • The Hammonton Gazette
Redevelopment plan would impact 11th St . Washington St ., EHR
PLANNING , from Page 1 question .
“ We have three lots in the general vicinity of Washington Street , 11th Street , the railway and Egg Harbor Road . These lots consist of vacant land — unutilized and unproductive lands — and the town ’ s
Disorderly person arrested
by Gabe Donio
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON — Police arrested a man after being called to break up a fight which occurred at 2:29 a . m . on May 29 on the 200 block of 12th Street , Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said .
“ While on patrol , Officer Dalton Verderame was advised by a subject in the area that there was a fight about to start outside of a local bar and restaurant ,” Friel said .
Friel said that as Verderame pulled into the parking lot area , a fight broke out in the middle of the street . Friel said all subjects were ordered to disperse . One of the subjects continued to instigate another fight , Friel said .
Kelvin Riveracumba was placed under arrest , transported to police headquarters for processing , charged and released pending a court date in Hammonton Joint Municipal Court , Friel said .
Verderame was the arresting officer , Friel said .
This report is comprised of arrests and investigations made by the men and women of local enforcement . All suspects and arrested are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law . aging public works facility ,” Wiser said .
Those parcels are Block 2608 / Lot 1 , also known as 265 S . Washington St ., which is vacant ; Block 2608 / Lot 2 , also known as 151 11th Street , home of the Hammonton Community Garden ; and Block 2902 / Lot 12 , also known as 394 S . Egg Harbor Rd ., the location of the public works facility . The first parcel is owned by John Jacobs Sr . of 3014 Moss Mill Rd .; the other two are owned by the town of Hammonton .
“ The vacant lands contribute little to the public sector in terms of tax revenue . They support no jobs , contribute nothing to the economic or social vitality of Hammonton . The public works facility is an aging , overburdened site that is reaching the end of its useful life and will likely benefit from relocation and / or redevelopment ,” Wiser said .
Wiser described the state law which allows for such redevelopment .
“ In 1992 , the New Jersey Legislature empowered municipalities to address conditions , as we ’ ve just described for these lots , by adopting the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law . The purpose of which is to provide municipalities with the tools and powers necessary to arrest and reverse conditions as exist in the study area , and to promote the advancement of community interests through redevelopment ,” Wiser said .
Wiser said that the redevelopment law requires a multistep public process before a municipality can exercise the powers granted under the law .
“ The first step is that the municipal governing body directs the planning board to conduct a study . You ’ ll recall , some months ago , you received a resolution from the town council asking this board to conduct a study . You accepted that directive , and you assigned the tasks to ARH . As part of that resolution that you adopted doing those things , you posted a map and a statement of the reasons for the investigation with the town clerk ,” Wiser said .
Step four in the process , Wiser said , is for the planning board to conduct an investigation and hold a noticed public hearing .
“ That ’ s what we ’ re here for tonight . You ’ ll be asked to make a finding and recommendations to the town council by resolution — again , you ’ ll be asked to do that tonight . Then , the governing body , the town council , will review the findings of the board — your findings — and act on a resolution to designate the study area , or any part of the study area to be in need of redevelopment ,” Wiser said .
If that resolution is adopted , it will be sent to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs ( DCA ), who will have 45 days to approve or deny the resolution . Should the DCA approve the resolution , the next step is a development of a redevelopment plan that will then go back to the planning board .
“ You will review it as consistent with the master plan and make a recommendation to the town council once again that the plan is consistent with the master plan and that it be adopted as a land use ordinance for the town . Only after completion of this multistep process is a municipality able to exercise any of the powers under the redevelopment law ,” Wiser said .
Wiser said that there are two types of redevelopment designations : condemnation and non-condemnation .
“ There ’ s no magic to this . In a condemnation area , the municipality would be able to acquire lands , condemn lands , through eminent domain for a redevelopment project . In a non-condemnation area , the town can ’ t ,” Wiser said .
The town , Wiser said , has instructed that this be a non-condemnation redevelopment process .
“ We are not talking about condemnation as part of what we ’ re doing here this evening ,” Wiser said .
Wiser said that his presentation will show how the lots in the study area conform to the statutory criteria under which an area may be deemed in need of redevelopment .
“ There are eight criteria ; only one is required . What we will walk you through this evening is multiple different criteria for the different lots , so we will have belts and suspenders on our findings ,” Wiser said .
Wiser noted that ARH submitted a report of findings , dated April 27 , 2022 , to the planning board which applies each of the statutory criteria for designation to each of the lots in the area .
“ There ’ s no way to efficiently present the findings in this 40- page report in a coherent and effective manner without either putting everybody to sleep , or having you or the public throw tomatoes or blueberries at me . So , while the report is fully detailed , we ’ re only going to present the high points — the summary — of the report ,” Wiser said .
According to the report , all three parcels — which are located in the DT2 Zoning District in the portion of Hammonton that has been designated under the Pinelands CMP as a Pinelands Town — qualify for redevelopment area designation under Criterion
H .
“ As part of the creation of the DT2 Zone , Pinelands was required to approve the land uses and bulk requirements for the district . Accordingly , the designation of the study area as being in need of redevelopment is consistent with smart growth planning principles adopted pursuant to regulation ,” the report reads .
Block 2608 / Lot 1 also qualifies under Criterion E .
“ Lot 1 exhibits a total lack of proper utilization caused by its municipal ownership — i . e ., its condition of title ( or other similar conditions )— which impede land assemblage resulting in a stagnant and underproductive condition of land potentially useful and valuable for contributing to and serving the public health , safety and welfare . In the words of Criterion ‘ e ,’ such condition is presumed to be having a negative economic impact and is detrimental to the welfare of the community ,” the report reads .
Wiser acknowledged that the Hammonton Community Garden is located on that parcel .
“ That community garden was placed there as in interim use — a temporary use — while that lot is being land-banked for future productive purposes . While the community garden is a use that has benefit , it was never intended to be there forever ,” Wiser said .
According to the report , Block 2608 / Lot 2 also qualifies under Criteria C , which applies to municipally owned and / or unimproved land that has remained so “ for a period of 10 years prior to adoption of the resolution , and that by reason of its location , remoteness , lack of means of access to developed sections or portions of the municipality , or topography , or
See BOARD , Page 14