Council To Discuss Affordable Housing In Closed Session

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The workshop portion of Monday night’s Moorestown Council meeting has been canceled and replaced by a closed session meeting, township officials announced on Friday. The closed session, which will begin at 6:30 p.m., will deal with litigation matters concerning the Affordable Housing situation in the township. The regular action meeting follows the closed session, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

It is unclear what will be discussed in the closed session, but there is an item on the Consent Agenda titled “Rejecting All Submissions in Response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Regarding the Construction, Maintenance and Management of an Affordable Housing Development on the Nagle Tract, and Cancelling the Procurement.” The body of that resolution has not yet been posted.

The Nagle Tract is located on Hartford Road. It has been designated for Affordable Housing, and in September, the township put out an RFQ for a proposed low and moderate income housing project on that site. This was around the same time council took steps to extend payments on 101 affordable housing units in the township that were set to expire, and add units to the township.

Since then, resident Roberto Paglione has been asking council about the Affordable Housing at its public meetings. Council hasn’t been able to provide clear answers because it says it doesn’t have the answers to provide at this time, and some of the information it does have can’t be disclosed because the matter is being handled in the courts. As a result, a group of concerned residents has formed the Moorestown Area Residents Interested in Fair Housing Ordinance (MARIFHO).

The group is interested in exploring any possible avenue to get answers concerning the Affordable Housing situation, whether it comes from the township or the courts, according to the Moorestown Sun.

When the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) was disbanded earlier this decade, the number of required Affordable Housing units in municipalities statewide came into dispute. Moorestown’s requirement remains unknown. It has filed a declaratory judgment action with the superior court of Burlington County to settle the dispute. Fair Share Housing Center has since entered that dispute as an intervenor.

• Awarding a Contract for Tree Removal ($29,995), Trimming ($150/hr) and Emergency ($250/hr) Services to Hyperion Tree Service;
• Authorizing Contract Change Order No. 6 in the Amount of $79,308.78 in Connection with a Project Known as Kings Highway Water Treatment Plant Improvements;
• Approving Contract Change Order No. 1 in the Decrease Amount of $106 for the Swede Run Fields Dog Park Project;
• Authorizing Release of Performance Guarantee for Public Service Electric & Gas (Solar Project) (Block 1500, Lot 8);
• Authorizing Reduction of Performance Guarantee for Oldcastle Building Envelope, Inc. (Block 1500, Lot 8) (Building Expansion and Parking Lot Renovation);
• Authorizing the Township of Moorestown to Apply for and Accept a Grant Offered Through the Department of Law and Public Safety;
• Authorizing the Tax Collector to Cancel Year End Penalty;
• Authorizing the Cancellation of Certain Water/Sewer Charges;
• Authorizing Contract Change Order No. 1 for the Woodlane Drive and Beacon Street Improvements in the Decrease Amount of $7,527.25; and
• A Resolution Authorizing the Cancellation of 2017 Utility Budget Appropriation Balance.

There are no proposed ordinances set for first or second reading. To view the full agenda, visit the Agenda Center on the township’s website.

Patch file photo