Taking control of Route 70
By JENNIFER KELLEY
Cherry Hill Sun
11/2/2006

Proposed redevelopment zone would give township new tools in shaping area

Last week, Route 70 was once again the focus of a township Council meeting – but not in regard to the controversial closure of the road’s cut-throughs or the contentious battle over the opening of an adult video store along the corridor, which have been hot topics in the recent past.

Instead, the future of the township’s beleaguered main artery was the subject of a resolution, and Mayor Bernie Platt told residents in attendance that he would soon be putting together a task force to examine Route 70 from a global perspective.

The unanimously approved resolution authorized the township Planning Board to conduct a preliminary investigation into whether a certain stretch of Route 70 is in need of redevelopment. The zone targeted is about a mile stretch of roadway from right around the Kings Highway intersection to Saw Mill Road.

The proposed adult video store, the subject of a lawsuit filed by property owner Jim Restaino over the township’s refusal to issue a building permit, would fall into the proposed redevelopment zone. While no comments were made by Council on the matter, if the zoning of the area is changed, the township would have a much greater say over what businesses can set up shop in the area.

“I feel redevelopment will give the township the opportunity to seek the highest and best use of this area on Route 70,” Platt said.

Properties that are not in good condition and could be better utilized to benefit the community as a whole are targeted for a redevelopment designation, according to Director of Community Development David Benedetti.

A redevelopment area designation provides flexibility to the municipality in land uses allowed in the designated area – that is, it allows uses that are not currently allowed, or it completely changes the original zoning designation, he said.

“This process allows a municipality to enter into either a tax abatement (which phases in taxes over a five-year period) or into a long-term payment in lieu of taxes.

“Finally,” Benedetti noted, “it also grants the municipality eminent domain powers.”

“Redevelopment is a key tool that municipalities use to revitalize and renew areas of their communities that are not performing up to their potential for a given location,” Platt said. “I feel (a redevelopment designation) will give the township the opportunity to seek the highest and best use of this area on Route 70. Currently and in the past, redevelopment projects have helped us bring in new businesses, retain several companies, create new jobs and improve the quality of life for residents throughout the township. This is why I and Council want the Planning Board to take a closer look at this particular location.”

Platt also noted he would make no further comments on the proposed zone until the Planning Board “does a thorough investigation of the site and gives a recommendation back to me and members of Council.”

Also brought up at last week’s meeting was the soon-to-be-created task force that would look at “the global issues of Route 70.” The group, Platt said, would be made up of civic association leaders from the neighborhoods bordering Route 70, owners of area businesses and representatives from the Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“The Route 70 Task Force is a township initiative that is currently being designed to enlist the help of residents in the community and examine the full-scope of Route 70 from one-end of Cherry Hill to the other, and not just one individual segment of the highway,” he said.

“The future of this roadway is very important to the township and the region, and we are soliciting direct public participation to provide objective recommendations to me and members of Council.”