The Harrison Township Committee adopted two ordinances – one focusing on the redevelopment of a home in Mullica Hill – at its work session on Aug. 5.
Passed first was a measure that focuses on the remaking of an empty home for sale on 611 Mullica Hill Road, on the same street as a Dunkin’. The red-brick rancher will be refurbished by a sports marketing company whose name was not revealed at the meeting, according to Mayor Louis Manzo.
“It has been purchased by a group …” he explained. “They’re (the buyer) a sports marketing company. So, they’re going to have their offices upstairs and they’re going to convert the downstairs into some type of cafe …
“Obviously this redevelopment plan, basically, allows for it to happen from a zoning perspective,” the mayor added. “Anything they’re actually going to do, as far as work and approvals, they’d then have to come into the joint land-use board for a full site plan to actually begin construction.”
The redevelopment ordinance was first introduced at a June 17 committee meeting. The delay in approval was due to the Harrison Township Joint Land Use Board ensuring the project is within guidelines of the township’s master plan. A public hearing was held without questions from residents.
The second ordinance appropriated $932,275 for the reconstruction and/or repaving of roads and installation of recreation improvements. The project ties into the capital ordinance that was a part of this year’s budget, according to Manzo.
Improvements will include the repaving of Williamson Lane, upgrades to Woodland Avenue, guide and guardrail installations throughout town, repairs to Bridgeton Pike and bike pedestrian improvements at Ella Harris Park.
“This is authorizing the payment of that which was already approved of in our budget,” said Manzo.
The money comes from grant funding provided by the state, said Township Administrator Dennis Chambers, after a resident asked about the source of the improvement funds during a public hearing on the ordinance.
“This figure constitutes the amount of grant funding we have gotten over the course of the last two, two-and-a-half years,” Chambers noted. “Theoretically – from an accounting standpoint – we have to procedurally say this and put it in the budget. For all intents and purposes, this is money that is not actually ours. It’s the state’s money that they’re giving us.
“We will be refunded for a large portion of it,” he added. “In some cases, on all the different projects, some of them will be 100%, some of them might be 75%. Even though we’re putting it in our budget in a manner that we normally would for any other capital thing that we’ree funding, this is basically all grant funding.”
The ordinances were approved by all committee members, with the exception of absent Committeewoman Michelle Powell. The next committee meeting is a business session scheduled to take place at 7 p.m on Monday, Aug. 19.
