AGENDA

(Continued from Page 1) extent of their concern about its potential impact on the community.

An indication of what brought them all out to what should have been a routine and uneventful township business meeting came when an individual who insisted on shouting out queries to the planners without any invitation to do so was finally asked if he had a question.

“Yes, I’d like to know what exactly was approved for these dormitories that are being built inside a school that was being sold as nothing more than a day school,” he replied.

Board Attorney Christopher Norman responded that, “right now, there is a pending development application for that.”

“By law, we have to apply the zoning ordinance on the books today, not any new ordinance,” he continued. “And as a result, they are asking for a use variance. They were on the agenda for this evening but requested to have the application carried to a future meeting.”

When the man began speaking out of turn again, he was interrupted by an admonition from Board Chairman Russell Bien: “This is my meeting and I’m not done with it yet. At the end, I will open it to the public and everybody will have a chance to talk.”

Then, as people in the crowd continued shouting, Bien ordered the individual to “put your hand down” and to “let me finish my meeting, all right?” with a bang of his gavel for emphasis.

Finally, after more shouts, punctuated by laughter and remarks from the audience, Norman told the unruly residents, “We will open this up to the public, that will be the time to speak.”

“We’re just following normal procedures,” he said.

And when that didn’t succeed in restoring order, a panel member shouted, “It’s not on the agenda!”

Bien then made a further attempt to reason with the crowd by explaining that in regard to the school, “we don’t have the variance before us, we’re not voting on it, we’re not even considering it tonight.”

“So, we’re not going to answer any questions about the school,” he asserted.

Blech, as previously reported by this newspaper, purchased the century-old Bass River Elementary School building – one that was no longer needed by the township – at the beginning of this year after coming in as high bidder in a 2022 auction and subsequently filing a lawsuit against the Bass River school board that ended up being denied by a Burlington County Superior Court judge.

“Eli Blech of Maple River, LLC – Land Use Application # 23-004 for Variance and Site Plan Waiver Block 56 Lots 36 & 37 to start interior renovations of prior school classrooms to dormitories,” the crossed-out July 19 agenda item read, with “Removed from July 19 Agenda as per applicant’s request” added at the end.

Blech, who claimed he had “nice things in store for the property” and attempted to smooth over any hard feelings over the lawsuit earlier this year by bringing pizza and soda to a township commission meeting, revealed to its members shortly thereafter what he hope to obtain permission to do with the property —open it as a yeshiva, which can be defined as either a school for Talmudic study or a Jewish day school that provides secular and religious instruction. While the developer wasn’t specific about which type of yeshiva he had in mind, the variance request that has been postponed appears to indicate that it would be something on the order of a seminary, with students who would live on the premises.

That prospect, however, caused former Bass River Commission candidate Karl Swanseen to

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Trip to Longwood Gardens

Location: Longwood Gardens go on record “in opposition to changing anything that would allow high density, live-in occupancy at the school.” While he thought using the school building for educational purposes would be fine, “going to a dormitory situation is not desirable and not in the best interest of the community.”

Details: The First United Methodist Church of Mount Holly is sponsoring a bus trip to Longwood Gardens Chrysanthemum Festival on Saturday, Nov. 4. Come celebrate Fall’s favorite flower! The cost is $100 pp (non-refundable), which includes: round-trip transportation, $25 dining gift card, and admission into Longwood. The bus will leave Lumberton Plaza at 10 a.m. and will return at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call Debbie Stevenson, 609-859-4168.

Swanseen said he was given an opportunity “to look at that application – it’s on record and it is nothing but a block diagram.”

“It shows a new section of the school with classrooms and rectangular beds, that is the extent of the plan,” he reported. “Two of the bedrooms don’t have access doors.”

Swanseen also noted that “they have checked off on their application public water and public sewer” (evoking laughter from the crowd), but that no kitchen or laundry facilities are indicated on the plan and “there is no school, so it is nothing but a high-density boarding house.”

Nor was the proposed transformation of the facility the only object of objection from residents, some of whom, judging from other comments made at the somewhat unconventional planning board session, suggested that they are alarmed by what they see as a potential threat to their way of life.

One resident, Betty O’Brien, perhaps most candidly summed up that feeling of apprehension.

“Once that developer comes in here, you’re all going to be overthrown,” O’Brien contended. “I’ve seen in Lakewood and surrounding areas— you will no longer have jurisdiction. The state police will not be welcome. Our fire service, EMS and other emergency services will dissipate just like it has there. Our residents will no longer have a voice.

“As a town we are begging you, keep the zoning strict, do not change anything. It’s not that we don’t welcome outsiders, but what we don’t want is our town destroyed because of unnecessary change. If you couldn’t change the laws for me, my neighbor, my aunt or my uncle when building our homes and businesses, or our hot dog stands, why are you allowing change