Some Neighbors Say No to Cinnaminson Home Redevelopment

A group of residents against the redevelopment of the old Cinnaminson Home started a petition this week to try and stop the project from going forth.

“If the plan goes through, we’re worried to death about the sewage situation, which is fragile to begin with,” said Cinnaminson resident Joe Kenney, who lives on Wedgewood, near the Riverton Road structure.

Kenney, and other neighbors, started the petition which is now available to view and sign at the .

(See the PDF of the petition at right.)

The plan is for Lutheran Social Ministries to . The township originally used about $400,000 of open space funds to buy the 2.5-acre property in the hopes of turning it into a community center.

But, costs were too high for redevelopment, so the structure was turned over to Lutheran, which will reimburse the township the full cost.

Now, the township is in a diversion process with the Department of Environmental Protection, which means to lift the open space label off the property so Lutheran can move forward with its project.

Kenney and his neighbors are concerned with the redevelopment and the possible stormwater issues it could bring to the area.

“We’re worried we’re going to have a cellar full of [feces] and a backyard full of water,” Kenney said.

He and neighbors attended a hearing with the DEP Monday night to discuss the diversion request. The township has already applied for the diversion and a public hearing is part of the process. Kenney said he would have hoped to see site plans for the new structure, but Lutheran hasn’t yet presented them to the planning board since the diversion is still under question.

Kenney wanted to start the petition now anyway to prevent site plans from ever being presented.

“We figure,” Kenney said, “since they are trying to make this diversion now, now is the time to speak up. We want to speak up before this gets any further.”

Kenney said drainage and sewage in that part of the township are not the greatest anyway and isn’t confident it will be addressed properly if redevelopment takes place.

However, Committeeman Anthony Minniti, the director of economic development, said those issues will be discussed when it’s time.

“Stormwater, sewage and more are going to be addressed as part of the site plan approval,” said Minniti. “The only way those issues could be addressed is if there is a redevelopment of the property.”

Minniti said a lot of the issues neighbors are having now are issues that are part of the site plan, not with the DEP or the diversion request.

That may be so, said Kenney, but the public has two weeks—until Oct. 31—to make their voices heard to the DEP.

“That doesn’t change our mind at all,” said Kenney. “The way we look at it—if the place remains Green Acres, open land or open space, we don’t even have to bring this up at all. We won’t have to worry about the site plan.”

Kenney wants the structure to remain as-is, but realizes it will deteriorate over time.

“I’d like to see it kept up,” said Kenney. “There are a million things they could make that building.”

One part of the structure is a historic building, which a Lutheran Social Ministries spokesman said will remain intact.

“Let’s all become friends of the Cinnaminson Home. If we have to go over there to clean up brush, get rid of dead trees, we’ll do it,” Kenney said. “We’re the ones who are looking through the fence at the back of the property.”