FLORENCE: Township eyes redevelopment along its Route 130 corridor

By Amber Cox, Special Writer
   FLORENCE — The Township Council introduced two ordinances June 7 involving a redevelopment plan for an area on Route 130. Public hearings for both measures are set for June 20.
   The first ordinance has ties to 2009 when the council adopted a resolution designating certain properties along Route 130 as areas in need of redevelopment.
   ”When you do that it gives the municipality the opportunity to provide economic and development incentives to certain property owners that meet the statutory requirements,” Township Administrator Richard Brook said.
   He added that the statutes are very specific and must meet a particular criteria test.
   There is an end user that is interest in a property between Cedar Lane and the Burlington Township border who plans to develop a warehouse, with office and training capabilities at 526,000 square feet.
   The company NFI plans to construct the building for the undisclosed end user, whose name is scheduled to be announced at the June 20 council meeting.
   Mayor Craig Wilkie said that the company is well known and is currently housed in Burlington County.
   ”If not for us they probably would have been leaving the state,” he said. “It’s a good thing for New Jersey, a good thing for Burlington County, obviously for Florence it’s going to be a great thing. We were able to entice them, or make it work because of a PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, that can only be done in a development area.”
   The PILOT is set for a period of 20 years, which is the nature of the second ordinance.
   ”They do continue to pay full land taxes but what occurs is they pay a percentage of the building value taxes and then they are tiered up over 20 years,” Mr. Brook said. “It can be adjusted in several different ways as long as you meet the statutory requirements and stay within the boundaries that the state says you have to.”
   This site should generate anywhere from 250 to 300 construction jobs, and possibly 50 permanent jobs, Mr. Brook stated, adding, “But, more importantly, it begins to open up other chances along the Route 139 corridor.”
   The building will be a pre-fab construction and the developers will also be adding a jug handle at their own expense.
   ”As part of this financial agreement they create what is called an urban renewal entity, because you have to meet the requirements if you’re going to be entitled to a payment in lieu of taxes,” Mr. Brook stated.
   Mayor Wilkie added that this site is set to be the Northeast training center for the company, also brining in more traffic to the area.
   ”The traffic will increase, those folks all need to eat, sleep, whatever the facility may need which can help depending on how many come through,” he said.
   The redevelopment plan was developed by the township planner, Barbara Fegley of AICP, PP Environmental Resolutions, Inc.
   The second ordinance would authorize the township to enter into a financial agreement with Turnpike Crossing Urban Renewal, LLC for certain properties within the Route 130 redevelopment area.