Planners to study Marmora, Seaville commercial districts
PETERSBURG — The Upper Township Planning Board will begin a preliminary investigation of parts of the Marmora Town Center and Town Center Core zoning districts to determine whether they meet the parameters of a condemnation redevelopment area.
Designating an area in need of redevelopment allows the municipality to undertake a number of activities to help revitalize and redevelop the study area. They include the preparation of a redevelopment plan that enables the issuance of bonds for redevelopment projects, leasing or selling property without public bidding, contracts with private entities and the use of various tax-abatement programs.
A condemnation redevelopment area would further allow the township to use eminent domain to seize property if it is determined that would be in the best interest of the municipality.
The Marmora Town Center District is from Roosevelt Boulevard south to Church Road and from the Garden State Parkway west to Stagecoach Road, while the Town Center Core includes the Cedar Square Shopping Center and businesses across Route 9.
According to a resolution approving the investigation, the land located in the study area appears to be in a state of dilapidation, vacant, obsolete or underutilized.
The resolution further states that the a “may be detrimental to the safety and welfare of the community thereby requiring redevelopment to better serve the township.”
Primary benefits of a establishing an area in need of redevelopment include allowing for a redevelopment plan specifically for the area and even for a specific project.
The redevelopment authority may provide long-term tax abatements on improvements to the site and may also create a Payment in Lieu of Taxes for the area.
Committeeman Mark Pancoast, who is a member of the redevelopment subcommittee created the same evening, said each area is a main entryway into the township and designated them as in need of redevelopment would “allow us to have a little more say in what is developed there.”
“We want to make sure we have the best land use practices and boost economic development,” Pancoast said.
One major problem affecting growth in the township is the lack of a sewer system.
“Without the sewers, the growth will not happen that we would like to see,” Pancoast said.
The township, which supplies water to Ocean City, would like to connect to the sewage treatment plant on the island but has faced pushback from members of the community. Pancoast said another option, not as feasible, would be connecting to another plant to the south.
“This will help us look at those options,” he said.
The subcommittee also includes Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes, township solicitor Tony Monzo, land use attorney Jim Maley and the township engineer.
“Our goal as we move forward is just to get the information to develop resources and get a better understanding of what we can do to help the businesses thrive,” Pancoast said.
“All of those areas are in need of redevelopment and would benefit from this,” Kim Hayes said.
Pancoast said a couple of new development projects set the “gold standard” for what the township would like to see, mentioning the Dompierre interior design workshop and Reich Asset Management, both on Roosevelt Boulevard.
Regarding the Town Center Core area, Pancoast said designating the area in need of redevelopment hopefully could lead to development of a full interchange at Garden State Parkway Exit 20, which is only southbound.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel Staff
