As avid readers of this blog know, the City ofMillville has sought to develop 500 Acres of land
near Union Lake currently owned by WAWA Inc.
You can read my November 7th and February 12 2008
entries about attempts to develop this land. There
has been talk that the proposed new high school could
be built on this land as well as reported on November 18 2008
Lake. As mentioned in the AC Press article by Ed Van Embden
dated today February 13th,
the city is seeking alternatives such as seeking Green
Acres funding and not having residential development and
having the developer seek funding to deal with the
traffic issues. The city is wishing to build 2 hotels on this site as well.
As reported in the Feb 12 2008 editon of the AC Press.
"On Monday, the board granted final site plan approval for the construction of two hotels in the city's north end next to state Route 55 and Route 47, one of the county's busiest roads - with a condition.
To receive a certificate of occupancy, the hotel developer must build a connecting road on land it does not even own.
Vice Mayor and Planning Board Member Joe Derella said this is the first time he can remember a developer being asked to address an issue by using another party's property."
There will no doubt that federal and state approvals will be needed to move this project forward.Some wish to have this property preserved in its entirety as
a scenic gateway to Millville. Groups such as the Local
chapter of the American Littoral Society, led by Matt Blake and Citizens United
have led this effort and have made compelling
arguments concerning various proposals to develop this land.
It seems now there seems a spirit of compromise on this issue which
is heartening. Here is a small snippet:
"Jane Galetto, founder of Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and its Tributaries, said she and environmental groups are aware of Millville's plan to seek mixed-use development for the site and have reached out to the city and the state to help realize some terms and conditions.
While Galetto said she would like to see the entire area preserved because of its value to wildlife and its potential for recreation, she is not wholly against the idea of mixed use, especially considering the alternatives of major development.
"We'll see what the ultimate configuration will be," Galetto said of the study. "We've been advocates for preserving the entire property for years, but we're open to discuss if there's a way in which everyone will be comfortable with the outcome."
I think a balanced and well-thought out plan is vital to economic development and to preserve the quality of life here in Millville and Cumberland County. We need to to be careful
not to get in a Ratables Chase. This blog will keep you updated as this issue is discussed and
debated in the months and years to come. The outcome will determine the future of Millville and Cumberland County.
6 comments:
Good post. I hope they find a way to preserve it and use it for recreation. I love the idea of saving land and I'd love to have a place to take my dog. All other preserves around Millville prohibit dogs, and for good reason, but this site isn't home to a great population of endangered animals or anything so it would be awesome to have a place to walk the dog and let it off its leash once in a while.
Will there be a Crown Fried Chicken along the lake, or is that only for the locations in or near minority areas of town? I see a sweetheart deal in the works with North Jersey developers, " Don't worry about the traffic and zoning, boys, put some greenbacks under the noses of these yokels, and you got yourself 500 lake side properties. Yeeeehah!" Cumberland County is for Sale.
"Don't worry about the traffic and zoning, boys, put some greenbacks under the noses of these yokels, and you got yourself 500 lake side properties."
Read the article, simpleton.
Will there be a "Wheaton Village II" or "Sherwood Forest IV"? Sherwood Forest...that's rich. What a sophisticated place Millville is. Robin Hood... there's a towering literary figure. Adds to the cachet of an area and brings up property values no doubt. Well thought out indeed. Think I'd wouldn't be in the least bit embarrassed to say I live there. Hey, any chicken joints gonna be on the lake or.....are they just for certain areas?
All aboard...Yokel Express...first stop Millville- slumlords, Crown Fried Chicken, Sherwood Forest III ( ask about the granite counter tops, yes folks just like Robin Hood),lakeside property sold off to and sprawled out by North Jersey developers, no kickbacks there . All Aboard!!!
From the article, you dopes:
"The idea is to develop a kind of mixed-use plan for the land, Ayres said. This likely would reduce or eliminate residential possibilities in favor of commercial development and open space preservation, she said."
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