The last parcel of industrial zoned land, which was recently rezoned residential, is set to be sold to the highest bidder come February.
Mayor Randy Brown arranged for Township Solicitor John Gillespie to conduct the auction, which starts at a minimum bid of $2 million, on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m.
This is a gold mine for us, not only for us to get a one-time revenue, but also create something for continuing revenue for years and years to come,” Brown said.
It’s not all about money, though. According to the council, there has been only one industrial developer that approached the township about the land in eight years, and even though they were approved to purchase it, they backed out.
According to council, residents surrounding the Sharp Road lot expressed the desire for more residential units. The council wants that as well, but the owner of Boyle Brothers Trucking and Rental, John Boyle, is still trying to convince the council to come to some type of compromise.
Boyle had his attorney, Charles D. Petrone, and planner, Barbara Allen Woolley-Dillon, speak on his behalf for options they feel may better suit the parcel of land.
Woolley-Dillon suggested the land be considered for a more transitional zone, such as self-storage warehouse property, or for the ordinance to be altered to support sufficient buffer zones to safeguard Boyle’s business from complaints from new residents.
Petrone believes the complaints will be similar to that of residents who live close to farms.
“We anticipate those same types of comments from residents, especially with this operation,” Petrone said. “It’s been there since 1976. It’s a legal operation. It opens 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, as well as the weekend.”
Woolley-Dillon requested the council consider putting information in the ordinance that called for up to 200 feet of buffer zones. However, Brown expressed no interest in changing the ordinance and advised Boyle’s counsel to seek zoning specifications during the zoning board meetings, and also suggested that Boyle has the option to purchase the land at the auction in February.
In other news:
• In the work session, the council discussed the building trade language to bid specifications and direct hire. The language does not indicate that the township can hire a sub-contractor with certain certifications, safety training or assurance of quality. According to Brown, the lowest bidder is sometimes not certified to work the projects safely or properly, and as a result, the projects are poorly executed. He said the council then has to approve someone else to fix the mistakes. As a result, they sometimes end up paying the original top dollar.
The council wants to bring in more local workers to bid on projects, and inject quality assurance language to ensure quality sub-contractors in hopes that dollars are not stretched to cover original projects and future repairs.
• After seven years on the police force, K-9 Hondo has retired and a new K-9 has arrived and has been named by three Marlton students. The German Shepard was named Spike. Alex Hook and Aidan King of Evans Elementary School and Patrick Dugan of Marlton Middle School all chose the name Spike.
Spike will be in training for the next few months before entering the workforce.
• Eagle Scout Collin Rodgers was honored for orchestrating the refurbishment of a trail and the creation of a new trail in the Black Run Preserve that stretches for one mile.
• Student government students were honored from DeMasi Elementary School fifth grade, Marlton Elementary School fifth grade, Marlton Middle and DeMasi Middle eighth grade and the DeMasi Middle Principal’s Cabinet.
