Housing Near Agricultural Center, Lenola Center Being Considered

MOORESTOWN, NJ — There will be a public hearing and final vote on a proposed affordable housing development near the Burlington County Agricultural Center in Moorestown Monday night.

Moorestown Council will meet on Monday night, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at town hall, 111 West Second Street. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., but council will go into closed session to discuss personnel matters. Once the closed session is complete, the workshop portion of the meeting will commence, followed by the official action meeting.

The proposal calls for the construction of 83 town houses, 17 of which would be used for affordable housing, on 17.8 acres of land next to the Burlington County Agricultural Center on Centerton Road.

The site is referred to as the Diocese Site. It was offered to the township by the Diocese of Trenton for use after Judge Ronald Bookbinder denied summary judgement in a case concerning restrictive covenants currently in place on the Route 38 site Pennrose proposed building on. Read more here: Moorestown May Need To Seek Alternative To Proposed Housing Site

The township opted not to use that site as an alternative for the Pennrose site, but an affordable housing complex will be built on that site. Read more here: Council Introduces Senior Housing Proposal; Diocese Proposes Site

It was approved on introduction at the Oct. 21 meeting, and the public hearing has been continued for the past few meetings. Read more here: Council Considers Rezoning For Affordable Housing Projects

The ordinance is accompanied by a resolution council must approve explaining why the ordinance is being passed despite being inconsistent with the township’s master plan. The planning board reviewed the proposed ordinance before it amended portions of the master plan to allow for affordable housing on the site.

Those amendments were adopted at the Dec. 5 planning board meeting. Council will consider a resolution endorsing the fair share element and spending plan adopted that night. The document will be in substantially the form as found at http://www.moorestown.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/3855/December-2019-ADOPTED-Moorestown-HousingPlan-with-Appendices

There will also be a public hearing and final vote on a proposal to re-zone the Lenola Shopping Center site as an overlay area in furtherance of the township's affordable housing obligation.
This proposal paves the way for 60 housing units, 12 of which would be set aside for affordable housing.

The housing could not be in addition to the existing structures and could only be built as part of an overall improvement and renovation of the entire site, according to officials. This proposal was passed on introduction at the Nov. 18 meeting. Read more here: Moorestown Set For Affordable Housing Site Near Mall

There are also five non-consent agenda resolutions that all deal with affordable housing under consideration, including the endorsement of the planning board’s amendments and the execution of a formal agreement with Pennrose to develop 75 affordable housing units at 307 Harper Drive.

This is part of a memorandum of understanding the township ratified with Pennrose last month. It established the parameters of a continuing relationship between the township and the developer.

The memorandum recognizes that Pennrose intends to end its litigation involving lift a restrictive covenant so it could move forward with a 76-unit affordable housing development on Meadow Drive.

Pennrose would also support the township as far as its plans to satisfy its affordable housing obligation, and end its pursuit of the development on Meadow Drive altogether, according to the announcement.

In exchange, the township intends to work with Pennrose on its 76-unit affordable housing development at the corner of Harper Drive and East Gate Drive, near the Moorestown Mall.

Other resolutions include:

• The execution of a formal agreement with MRD Moorestown LLC for the development of 173 units of housing at 118 West Route 38, 35 of which will be designated as affordable;
• A resolution expressing the township’s intent to ensure funding is available for its affordable housing plan. Funding for the affordable housing obligation is anticipated to come from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. These funds can be supported through other non-tax sources including various grants and tax credit programs. The resolution itself is not an authorization to bond or a commitment of funds, but an expression of the intent to do so in the future, should additional resources become necessary. Adoption of this resolution is a legally required condition precedent to securing continued protection from Builder Remedy litigation; and
• The appointment of CGP&H as the township’s affordable housing administrative agent and authorizing the award of a contract. The township issued a Request for Qualifications under the Fair and Open Process to identify an Affordable Housing Agent. The agent will help the township comply with its affordable housing obligations, including assisting with the development of market-to-affordable, accessory units, and disability housing strategies. Two exceptionally qualified responses were received and both respondents were interviewed. This resolution formalizes the desire of Township Council to memorialize its intent to name CGP&H as the winning respondent.

There are also 15 items on the consent agenda. To view the full agenda, visit the agenda center on the township's website.