A special meeting of town council will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 19 in the municipal building, 820 Mercer St., Cherry Hill, beginning at 7 p.m.
A group of nine Barclay Farms residents are making a zoning board appeal to council rather than the Superior Court of New Jersey, said Township Spokeswoman Bridget Palmer, on the height variance and use variance granted for applicant Buckingham Partners LLC.
“(The) project is proposed residential housing at Brace and Kresson, the now-vacant former Pro-Build/Haddonfield Lumber site,” she said.
The site plan has not been submitted, Palmer said.
No new testimony will be presented at the meeting, she said, and there will be 20 minutes for the appellate to speak, 20 minutes for the applicant and 20 minutes for the zoning board’s attorney.
A decision will be made that night, said Palmer.
At the Monday, Dec. 10 council meeting, resident Robert Shinn thanked council for holding the hearing on the appeal, but requested amendments to the resolution that was adopted on Nov. 26.
Shinn said he was concerned with the appellate only being able to comment for 20 minutes as well as the language of the resolution, stating that there is a “perceived lack of fairness.”
In the resolution, it is said that Shinn filed an appeal to council on Oct. 18 and alleged “that the zoning board erroneously found that the intended use is an inherently beneficial use, that the zoning board erroneously found that the project’s benefits outweigh its detriments, (and) that the zoning board failed to take into account the parking and safety issues relating to the site.”
The timing allotment issues were noted and conversations will continue until the meeting, said Council President David Fleisher in response to Shinn.
“We have been very, very diligent working with our attorneys,” said Fleisher.
Drive sober
Chief of Police Rick Del Campo was present at the meeting and said that officers will be doing spot checks in conjunction with the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign currently in place.
Signs will also be put in place and drivers using cell phones will be included in the campaign.
The efforts will continue through Jan. 2.
Eagle Scout
Resident Liam Mahoney was recognized for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.
Mahoney worked on a rainwater collection system in the Beck Middle School Community Garden and earned 39 merit badges.
Only two percent of boy scouts reach the rank, said Fleisher.
Dec. 10 was declared “Liam Mahoney Eagle Scout Day” in the township.
Municipal clerk
Soon, Township Clerk Nancy Saffos is to be sworn in as president of the Municipal Clerks’ Association of New Jersey, said Fleisher.
For additional information on the association, visit www.njclerks.org.
Friendship Grove
In council comments, Vice President Sara Lipsett remarked on the recent dedication of Friendship Grove, an outdoor area behind the Cherry Hill Public Library.
“It’s a wonderful place behind the library,” Lipsett said.
Learn more by visiting www.chplnj.org.
