Route 42/Landfill Redevelopment Study Area

Redevelopment Plan

January 2006 Revised February 2008

Revised November 2017

Prepared by:

Remington & Vernick Engineers, Inc. 232 Kings Highway East Haddonfield, New Jersey 08033

___________________________ ___________________________ Craig F. Remington, P.L.S., P.P. Joseph M. Petrongolo L.L.A., R.L.A., P.P. Vice President Associate License #33LI00187700 License #33LI00525100

BOROUGH OF BELLMAWR Camden County, New Jersey

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Introduction/ Statutory Requirements The Mayor and Borough Council of the Borough of Bellmawr directed the borough’s planning board to undertake an investigation of need to determine whether the study area (as shown in Figure 1) qualifies under statutory criteria for designation as “an Area in Need of Redevelopment”. As a result of that investigation, the study area has been identified by the Mayor and Borough Council as an Area in Need of Redevelopment, by resolution dated August 25, 2006. That Finding of Need is the basis of this Redevelopment Plan. The Mayor and Borough Council of the Borough of Bellmawr also directed, by resolution, the planning board to prepare a Redevelopment Plan for the redevelopment of the study area. The purpose of this Redevelopment Plan is to provide a description of the necessary regulatory information to define and guide the redevelopment of the study area. This plan responds to the requirements and specifications as set forth in NJSA 40A:12A-1 et seq. (the “Redevelopment Law”), which defines the content and need for the Redevelopment Plan. The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Bellmawr will serve as the Redevelopment entity responsible for the execution of the redevelopment plan. Unless otherwise specified herein, standards set forth in the Borough of Bellmawr Land Development Ordinance shall be deemed to control development within this Redevelopment Plan. Redevelopment Area Delineation This Redevelopment Plan consists of three project phases, which consists of more than 150 acres. The area consists of the following parcels: Block 78, Lot 1 Block 78, Lot 2 Block 78, Lot 3 Block 79, Lot 9.01 Block 1.02, Lot 1 (within the Township of Deptford) As shown in Exhibit 1, to the east of the project area, and Phase III, to the west of the project area is located within the Borough of Bellmawr. Phase II is located within the Township of Deptford. Redevelopment activities should be coordinated between the two municipalities. The southern boundary of all three phases are reserved for open space. The Redevelopment projects shall advance the open space goals and be substantially consistent with the Park Plan proposed for the Redevelopment area. Redevelopment Plan Overview From a strategic standpoint, this Redevelopment Plan seeks to promote through the employment of the tools available under redevelopment planning, coordinated, efficient and balanced growth in the study area resulting from the establishment and integration of uses appropriate to, and able to benefit from, proximity to Route 42, I-295, and the waterfront. Accordingly, this Plan, which

Route 42/Landfill Redevelopm

ent Study Area Redevelopm

ent Plan 3

Borough of Bellmaw

r, Camden County, N

ew Jersey

Figure 1

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is consistent with the Borough of Bellmawr Master Plan, advances refinements to prevailing zoning, encourages flexibility of design achieved through the mechanism of planned development, allows for a mix of uses, and promotes the preservation of significant open space resources so that the full potential of the waterfront area as an asset for the Borough of Bellmawr and the entire region can be realized. Substantial portions of the study area are affected by the remnants of various landfill operations. Three New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Known Contaminated Sites (KCS) are present in the study area. The KCS’s are identified as the Bell Harbor Incorporated Landfill, Bellmawr Borough Sanitary Landfill, and Fazzio Sanitary Landfill. Generally, these landfill sites overlap, together comprising a general landfill area that affects the whole of the study area. While the landfills are the most significant manmade feature of the study area, the most significant naturally occurring feature is Big Timber Creek. As such, any redevelopment activity must take full advantage of the unique opportunities afforded by frontage on such a considerable and valuable waterway. The primary goals of this Plan therefore are: (i) the remediation of the landfill; (ii) the creation of scenic vistas and opportunities for the public to directly access and utilize the waterfront area; and (iii) the implementation of progressive “smart growth” development techniques in the study area, ensuring that the Borough of Bellmawr and the surrounding region will benefit significantly from the implementation of this Plan. To afford the greatest likelihood for incorporation of the aforementioned central themes with the future look of the area, flexibility in design is to be promoted. Specifically discouraged is a ‘piecemeal’ redevelopment approach having an emphasis on stand-alone/single parcel development. In lieu of, a planned development approach is strongly encouraged, i.e. single entity development of compatible uses under a unified plan. Objectives of Redevelopment Plan The Borough’s objectives in redeveloping the study area, set forth below, focus on the remediation of the existing landfills, attracting new investment to the Borough, enhancing the waterfront, and supporting multimodal transportation networks.

1. The Borough will require a development plan to include the remediation of the landfill to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) standards.

2. (Intentionally Deleted).

3. The Development Plan must satisfy the affording housing obligation generated from

the project, if any. 4. Rather than prescribe every design detail in this Redevelopment Plan, the Borough will

seek a developer who can apply his or her own skills and experience to the concepts described in this plan. The Borough will consider and determine appropriate design guidelines in the context of the negotiation of the redeveloper agreement after

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consideration of, among other things, the proposals of the redeveloper, and will make development consistent with those guidelines as a condition of the agreement.

5. The high quality of the new developments should be expressed in the landscaping of

the streets and sidewalks and at the vehicular and pedestrian entrances to the area. Identifying features should be used that are visually interesting and creates a distinguishable sense of place. Visitors and residents should be aware that this new and exciting place to visit, work or shop in the Borough of Bellmawr.

6. New developments should be walkable with pedestrian links to the waterfront park

areas, to proposed open space, and to commercial or industrial areas. Connectivity should be provided between new development and existing development, particularly with access to the proposed walking trail parallel to Big Timber Creek, to the greatest extent feasible.

7. Retailers that conventionally stand alone or form a part of an automobile dominated

retail strip are encouraged to utilize storefront design devices such as distinctive awnings, signage and store windows and aesthetic and architecturally significant entry treatments which provide a unique identity for retailers should be utilized.

8. Development should incorporate and accommodate possible bus and multi-modal

transit connections, which may include commuter or visitor express shuttle bus service to existing PATCO train stations and the Philadelphia International Airport.

9. Since the redevelopment area is proximate to two (2) limited access highways, in order

to maintain a continuous and consistent buffer along I-295 and Route 42, the proposed development shall respect the requirements of the Limited Access Highway Proximity Zone. Therefore, no buildings shall be constructed within fifty (50) feet of the Route 295 and Route 42 rights-of-way. Additionally, only signage permitted in the limited access highway proximity zone and signage permitted by Section 116-83 of the Code of Bellmawr, subject to Planning Board and/or Redevelopment Entity approval are permitted. (For clarification purposes, the fifty (50) foot setback requirement described herein is not intended to be applicable to any road or right-of-way which may be built within the study area, other and I-295 and Route 42).

10. The development of the planned waterfront park area should be addressed as soon as

may be feasible, following the completion of the remediation of the landfills. The waterfront park should provide public access to the Big Timber Creek waterfront area, and should include at a minimum, non-exclusive visitor parking areas, scenic vistas, improved natural trails, benches and rest areas, and also signs providing interpretive ecological information to the public. The development of direct water access areas (such as a boat ramp, dock, pier, or fishing area), to the extent practical and permitted by NJDEP, shall also be encouraged. One possible iteration of a waterfront park plan is included herein for information purposes only as Exhibit 2.

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Use Recommendations:

1. Permitted Principal Uses - The permitted uses of underlying zoning districts are suspended. In lieu of these uses, permitted principal uses in the study area are limited to the following:

a. Within the areas labeled as “Green Acres” on Exhibit 1 that lie within Bellmawr

Borough, the permitted uses shall include:

1. Passive and active public parks;

2. Recreation areas and facilities; and

3. Waterfront access areas (boat ramp, dock or fishing area).

b. Within the areas labeled as “Proposed Development Area” on Exhibit 1 that lie within Bellmawr Borough, the permitted uses shall include only commercial and industrial uses, including:

1. Marina and marina-related uses;

2. Indoor sports, recreation, or entertainment facilities (which may include

liquor licensed facilities, but adult entertainment facilities are prohibited);

3. Flex uses (office uses in conjunction with warehouse facilities);

4. Hotels and convention facilities (which may include liquor licensed

facilities);

5. Professional Office Uses (which may include offices rented to for-profit entities, as well as offices rented and occupied by federal, state, county, municipal or non-profit entities as tenants);

6. Restaurants (which may include liquor-licensed facilities);

7. Retail uses no larger than 50,000 square feet each;

8. Intermodal transportation facility to service buses, rail, and

automobiles;

9. Billboards which are located within the Limited Access Highway Proximity Zone; and

10. Corporate Centers, including manufacturing, distribution and/or order

fulfillment centers.

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2. The following use is a conditional use in the study area:

A single retail or wholesale retail use that occupies no less than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area. However, in order to avoid the massive scale and uniform impersonal appearance of a large commercial center, the following architectural details which are the standards of the conditional use, must be utilized when developing this type of use: façade ornamentation; building offsets; window treatments; variation in roof lines; entry treatments; and upgraded building materials.

3. This Plan encourages the interconnectivity of development areas through the provision

of improved walkways. The walkways within and between parking areas and separate development areas should be lit with ornamental lighting fixtures and include pedestrian amenities such as benches. To improve the streetscape, enhanced pedestrian accessways and crosswalks are encouraged.

4. In addition, the creation of a larger greenway/improved trail network is encouraged,

allowing pedestrian and/or bicycle connections between the area’s developed portions and portions set aside for waterfront parkland and passive recreation.

5. The development plan should permit the incorporation of intermodal transportation services, such as a possible future bus service with rail transit connectivity.

Bulk and Area Recommendations The redeveloper in conjunction with the Borough will develop bulk and area recommendations suitable for the project site. All proposed bulk and area recommendations are subject to the approval by the Planning Board and/or Redevelopment Entity. Special Design Requirements The redeveloper in conjunction with the Borough will develop special design requirements which will be unique to the redevelopment area. Design requirements are fundamental to creating a sense of place within the project area and help encourage pedestrian interconnection and circulation patterns. All proposed design requirements are subject to Planning Board and/or Redevelopment Entity approval. Relationship to the Plans of Adjacent Communities, the County Plan, and the State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP) Runnemede Since the Borough of Runnemede is currently in the process of updating their Master Plan, a copy was not available for review. It is anticipated that the plan will be consistent with the revised Borough of Runnemede Master Plan. Areas within Runnemede directly adjacent to the study area that are under the ownership of the redeveloper will be developed commercially to the extent feasible, in a manner consistent with this plan.

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Township of Deptford The Township of Deptford completed a Master Plan Reexamination on October 9, 2005. Upon review of the reexamination report, it was determined that the proposed plan does not conflict with the goals and objectives set forth by the Township of Deptford. On November 17, 2008, Deptford Township declared Block 1.02, Lot 1 in Deptford (identified as “Phase II” on the Exhibit 2 attached hereto, and lying between the study areas located in Bellmawr), to be an area “in need of Redevelopment” under the New Jersey Redevelopment Law. Camden County The Camden County Planning Department completed a comprehensive plan for the county in 1972. Although this plan, in its entirety, has not been updated, the land use element was revised in 1976, and an Open Space and Farmland Preservation Plan was completed in early 2004. Some of the goals set forth in the 1972 plan include:

• Promote regional shopping centers at specific locations thorough Camden County. • Encourage private development in a manner which would maximize the efficiency of

present public transportation facilities and improvements. • Provide a variety of housing types at affordable costs in close proximity to work areas. • Provide adequate, appropriate and attractive parks, recreation and open space to serve both

the existing and rapidly growing population of Camden County. Although the above-mentioned goals have not been recently affirmed, the proposed redevelopment plan is generally consistent with the county’s plan. Furthermore, the land use element discussed the negative consequences of landfills and the Open Space and Farmland Preservation Plan propose the development of a Big Timber Creek Greenway by reusing portions of the landfill area in Bellmawr. These recommendations parallel this plan’s requirement that a greenway network be established throughout the site. State Development and Redevelopment Plan: The entirety of the study area is located within the Metropolitan (PA1) Planning Area under the State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP), which include:

• Provide for much of the state’s future redevelopment; • Revitalize cities and towns; • Promote growth in compact forms; • Stabilize older suburbs; • Redesign areas of sprawl; and • Protect the character of existing stable communities.

The redevelopment of the study area is not only in concert with the above-mentioned intentions of the PA1 designation but also supports most of the individual strategies of the SDRP. The strategies for revitalizing the State’s cities and towns include:

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• Revitalize the State’s cities and towns by improving and enhancing the build and natural environment.

• Promote economic growth and development by promoting socially and ecologically beneficial economic growth.

• Protect the environment by promoting ecologically designed development and redevelopment in the Metropolitan and Suburban Planning Areas.

• Preserve historic and cultural areas by enhancing, preserving, and using historic, cultural, scenic, open space and recreational assets by collaborative planning, design, investment, and management techniques.

Adjacent Municipalities As shown above in Exhibit 1, the study area is adjacent to the municipal boundary lines of the Township of Deptford and the Borough of Runnemede. It is anticipated that areas that lie within the Township and Deptford and the Borough of Runnemede will be developed both commercially and recreationally, pursuant to a comprehensive plan, as described further in Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 described herein. It is also anticipated that the Borough of Bellmawr will enter into an Interlocal Services Agreement with Deptford Township, under the terms of which Agreement Bellmawr would provide municipal services to areas located within Deptford Township, and Deptford Township would then in turn reimburse Bellmawr for the direct costs associated with those municipal services. The Inter-Local Agreement will also provide for administration of the entire redevelopment area to be done by Bellmawr. The Borough of Bellmawr anticipates working with Deptford and Runnemede throughout the planning process in order to ensure a cohesive and unified planned development. Zoning Map Amendments The Borough’s zoning map is to be amended to reference this Redevelopment Plan as two zoning districts (“Green Acres” and “Proposed Development Area”) encompassing the Redevelopment Area in its entirety. Deviations from Provisions of Redevelopment Plan The planning board may review and retain jurisdiction over applications regarding relief for deviations, other than with respect to permitted uses, from this Redevelopment plan or other Borough development ordinances. All requests for such relief shall be made to the planning board accompanied by a complete application for development as otherwise required by the Borough ordinance. Decisions on such requests shall be made in accordance with the legal standards set forth in N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70C in the case of requests for relief from zoning standards, and in accordance with the legal standards set forth in N.J. S.A. 49:55D-51 in the case of requests for relief from design standards.

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Land Acquisition As authorized by the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, lands and/or buildings not owned by the Borough of Bellmawr for the effective execution of the redevelopment plan, may be acquired by condemnation in accordance with the provisions of the Eminent Doman Act of 1971. Relocation Assistance The redevelopment entity shall undertake all appropriate relocation measures as required by law pursuant to the Relocation Assistance Law of 1967, P.L. 1967, C. 79 (c. 52:31B-1 et seq.) and the Relocation Assistance Act, P.L. 1971, C. 362 (c. 20:4-1 et seq.) in the event of displacement of any resident from the redevelopment area. Economic Development and Financing

• Funding opportunities made available through New Jersey Green Acres Program should be pursued for acquisition of lands dedicated to park and recreation uses.

• Utilization of public/private partnerships is strongly encouraged in order to facilitate the full realization of this plan’s vision.

• Innovative development agreements should be negotiated which may address the upgrade or extension of infrastructure, the funding of grant applications, and contributions as may be sought.

Site Plan and Subdivision Applications In the execution of this Redevelopment Plan, it should be noted that development and subdivision within the area shall be governed by the requirements set forth under the applicable development regulations of the Borough of Bellmawr. Redevelopment activities shall be in conformance with the adopted redevelopment plan which may be amended in accordance with the law. Site plan review, as may be required, shall be conducted by the Planning Board of the Borough of Bellmawr pursuant to the provision of the Municipal Land Use Law, N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq. All leases, agreements, deeds, and other instruments from or between, the redevelopment entity, and to, or with a redeveloper, shall comply with the applicable provisions of Title 40, Chapter 37A. Agreements with the (Re-)Developer Agreements with developers shall note that only those uses established in the redevelopment plan shall be constructed, and prohibit, without approval of the redevelopment entity, the sale, leasing, or transferring of the redevelopment project, or portion thereof, without written consent. Equal Opportunity The land within the project area shall not be restricted on the basis of race, creed, color, or national origin in the sale, lease, use, or occupancy thereof.

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Period of Applicability The provisions of this plan, specifying the redevelopment plan for this project area and requirements and restrictions within respect thereto, shall be in effect for a period yet unspecified until such time as the purpose of the plan has been satisfied and the designated areas used for redevelopment has been substantially alleviated.

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EXHIBIT 1 SITE PLAN

Prepared by SR3engineers

Dated November 7, 2017

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EXHIBIT 2 PARK PLAN

Prepared by SR3engineers Dated November 10, 2017

N.J.S.H. ROUTE 42NORTH-SOUTH FREEEW

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RETAIL 4

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RETAIL 3

18,000 SF

RETAIL 1

18,000 SF

PHASE II

PHASE III

PHASE I

Drawing Name:

Project / Location:

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BELLMAWR NJ, 08031

PH: (856) 933-3323

Sheet Number:

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REVISIONS DESCRIPTION

BELLMAWR WATERFRONT

DEVELOPMENTBOROUGH OF BELLMAWR DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP

CAMDEN COUNTY GLOUCESTER COUNTY NEW JERSEY

WJS

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

1 of 1

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SITE PLAN

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GRAPHIC SCALE 1" = 200'

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Drawing Name:

Project / Location:

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SAMUEL RENAURO III

NEW JERSEY

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER # 42862

Seal:

REVISIONS DESCRIPTION

BELLMAWR WATERFRONT

DEVELOPMENTBOROUGH OF BELLMAWR DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP

CAMDEN COUNTY GLOUCESTER COUNTY NEW JERSEY

200 400

GRAPHIC SCALE 1" = 200'

200 0100150 50

WJS

NOVEMBER 10, 2017

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PARK PLAN