Check out what other top stories appeared in the Cherry Hill Sun during the month of June.
One simple decision on an overlay zone in Cherry Hill Township ended up being one of the biggest stories of 2016.
In May, Cherry Hill Township Council passed an ordinance on first reading to approve overlay zones in four areas of the township. One of these areas was 18 acres of land near the intersection of Park Boulevard and Kings Highway. The land is home to the Wallworth Park apartments, Cherry Parke condominiums and an office building.
For the ordinance’s second reading in May, a crowd of residents attended the meeting to speak out against the particular area. Residents were concerned about some of the zoning changes proposed in the overlay zone. Some of the changes included making the permissible building height 55 feet, lower than the current permissible height of 60 feet but taller than the current building height of 35 feet. The proposed changes also included an increase in density from 19 units per acre to 26 units.
Residents felt the new zoning changes did not fit the character of the neighborhood. They were concerned redevelopment could occur at the sites, allowing a new developer to build under the proposed zoning.
“You’re moving the whole area close and you’re making it 50 feet tall,” resident Phil Guerrieri said. “That is so sick it’s not even funny. It should not even be considered for that area.”
Cherry Hill Township officials said all of the overlay zones were being put into place so the township would be able to fulfill affordable housing obligations. Director of communications Bridget Palmer said the overlay zone would allow the township to receive credit for affordable housing at Wallworth Park and Cherry Parke that it currently wasn’t receiving.
In the end, the residents voices were heard. The Wallworth Park and Cherry Parke area was removed from the overlay zone ordinance. At the June 13 meeting, Mayor Chuck Cahn informed residents an overlay zone was off the table for the area.
The overlay zone issue was a rallying point for many Cherry Hill residents and resulted in the creation of an influential Facebook group. Named Cherry Hill United, the group continues to be a gathering place for people to talk about government issues around Cherry Hill Township today.
To read the full article, visit www.scribd.com/document/314013282/Cherry-Hill-0601-pdf.
Other top stories from the month of June:
June 1 — Cherry Hill Township unveils “Roadmap to Our Future”
Standing on the grounds of the historic Barclay Farmstead in late May, Cahn unveiled a document to pave the way for Cherry Hill Township’s future for years to come.
The township unveiled its 51-page “Roadmap to Our Future.” The document detailed a plan for developing a sustainable future for years to come in Cherry Hill.
The sustainability plan is detailed and broken down into five main categories — health and wellness; homes, buildings and transportation; leadership education and training; community vitality and ecology; and empowerment through arts and culture. Within each category are strategies for initiatives the township plans to take on in the coming years. Each strategy includes one- and two-year goals
“It’s a plan that works for everybody in different capacities,” Cahn said. “Wherever you are on spectrum of making the world a better place, this has something for you.”
To read the full article, visit www.scribd.com/document/314013282/Cherry-Hill-0601-pdf.
June 8 — Kilmer Elementary turning lemonade into lots of money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand
In 2016, Kilmer Elementary School held its 10th annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Denise Roskey, a teacher at Kilmer Elementary, started the stand with her fourth grade class in 2007.
“It was just me and my fourth-grade class,” Roskey said. “I wanted to do something where I could show that kids can make a difference. I took my whole class out and I thought maybe we’ll raise $100 and it’ll be cute.”
“At the end of the day, the secretaries were counting the money,” Roskey said. “They asked ‘How much do you think you raised?’ I thought, there were quite a few people here, I thought maybe $300. They said ‘No, it’s like $2,500.’”
Since then, the stand has returned to Kilmer Elementary each spring. Over the 10 years the stand has appeared, the school has raised more than $30,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand and now the entire school gets involved with the fundraiser.
“I like the part where you hold up the signs and try to get people’s attention to raise money,” fifth grader Edon Atiya said. “I think that the lemonade stand is a good idea.”
To read the full article, visit www.scribd.com/document/314741350/Cherry-Hill-0608-pdf.
June 22 — Mayor Chuck Cahn tells residents town hall won’t come to Kingston if residents don’t want it
Leading into the June 13 Cherry Hill Township Council meeting, residents felt a sense of uncertainty. There was talk of Cherry Hill Township moving town hall to the properties of 1101 and 1103 North Kings Highway. A realtor approached some residents near those properties with an offer to purchase their homes.
At the end of the June 13 meeting, residents came away satisfied. Mayor Chuck Cahn said the township would not explore relocating town hall to Kingston if residents were against the idea.
“We’re not going to put town hall in your neighborhood if you don’t want it,” Cahn told the crowd in attendance.
All of the residents who spoke at the meeting were against the idea of moving town hall to Kingston. The meeting got emotional when Carmen Argentina, a resident of Cherry Hill for more than 50 years, spoke about a realtor approaching him with an offer to buy his property.
“You’re not taking my house,”Argentina said at the meeting.
To read the full article, visit www.scribd.com/doc/316040954/Cherry-Hill-0622-pdf.
June 29 — Eighth grader Baheen Huzan takes home second place in national computer science competition
In 2015, Baheen Huzan, then an eighth grade student, found her passion for computer science. However, she had a tough time finding other people her age in Cherry Hill who had that same passion.
To connect with other middle schoolers who loved computer science, Baheen competed in the ProjectCSGirls, a competition where girls in grades six to eight are challenged to solve a social problem revolving around the themes of global health, a safe world and intelligent technology. After finishing as an honorable mention at the competition in 2015, Baheen was the second place grand prize winner in 2016. Baheen won the award at the ProjectCSGirls Gala in Washington, D.C., on June 5.
However, the most important part of the experience for Baheen was networking with other girls her age who love computers.
“I just liked talking to them and seeing what they did for their project,” Baheen said. “Not only did we talk about computer science, but some of us shared hobbies. For example, some of them also played soccer like I do.”
