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FR EE
January 25, 2020 – January 31, 2020
BID FOR DEVELOPMENT
Alpacas, One Llama Feared Left Behind at Animal Rescue Moved to Virginia for Care by Owners
By Andy Milone Staff Writer
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
A roadway sign for County Route 530.
Developer Pitches Potential Auto Auction, Warehouse for 271-Acre Lot Along County Route 530 in Pemberton
By Michael Garofalo Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—Just mere months after Pemberton Township granted final approvals for a new 509,000 squarefoot warehouse development on County Route 530, another major commercial development is in the works along the busy corridor. At Pemberton Township Council’s Jan. 15 meeting, Dipal Patel, president and CEO of New Jersey-based real estate firm Hexa Builders, presented preliminary plans to develop a large wooded lot on the north side of Route 530, east of Birmingham Road. Patel expressed interest in building warehouse facilities and/or an auto auction lot on the site. The warehouses would be permitted under the site’s current zoning; the auto auction facility is not currently permitted. In order to pursue the auto auction lot, Patel requested that the township consider designating the site an “area in need of rehabilitation,” which would potentially allow for uses otherwise not permitted under the current zoning laws governing Pemberton Township. The 271-acre property’s current zoning would allow for roughly 650,000 square feet of warehouse space, according to an analysis by Hexa Builders. Patel displayed a prospective site plan showing eight warehouse buildings on the site. The auto auction companies that Hexa Builders hopes to bring to the site primarily conduct their operations online, Patel contended. The facility would consist of a large surface lot and a small
administrative building, and would be used primarily to store cars until they are auctioned online and shipped to buyers, he said. Patel added that the facility would not conduct public auctions resulting in an influx of traffic from buyers. Roughly 100 acres of the 271-acre site are developable, according to Hexa Builders’ analysis, and any project would preserve upwards of 150 acres of wooded area. Patel said that he is open to input from the township on the use of the site, which he said could potentially accommodate both warehouse and auto auction facilities, or be dedicated entirely to either use. Hexa Builders also plans to seek a long-term tax exemption for the site, under which the developer would reach a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with the township. Under PILOT programs, developers are required to make annual service charge payments directly to a municipality, rather than paying conventional taxes. PILOT payments are typically paid at a lower rate than conventional taxes, but structured so that the municipality keeps a larger share of the revenue. In its current, undeveloped state, the property generates minimal tax revenue for the township, according to Township Solicitor Andy Bayer. The township finalized a PILOT arrangement last fall regarding the 509,038 square foot warehouse project to be built by Seldat Distribution, Inc. at 200 South Pemberton Road, just west of the property Hexa Builders intends to develop. Steve Gouin, an attorney representing Hexa
Builders, said the firm would propose to pay a PILOT rate similar to that of the Seldat project on a per-square-foot basis. The latest property in question has been targeted for development by the township for decades, according to Mayor David Patriarca. “It is one of the few areas in this town that is not in the Pinelands and that is developable,” Patriarca said. Patriarca explained that while he is in favor of developing the site, he is “not a big fan of the auto auction idea.” He contended it would likely create very few jobs. Hexa Builders representatives projected that an auto auction lot would employ between 20 and 100 people, while a warehouse facility could employ roughly 1,000. “I don’t know how that is going to help the residents of Pemberton, other than bringing in revenue for improvements on the property,” said the mayor of the proposed auto auction lot. “I would like to see improvements on the property for increased revenue, but I would also like to see those improvements offer jobs.” He x a B u i ld e r s r e p r e s e n t a t ive s contended that the auto auction use would have a lesser impact on the surrounding area than a warehouse facility. Maurice Rached, a traffic engineer contracted by the developer, said that a warehouse facility would result in considerably more commercial and employee traffic than an auto auction lot. Council members questioned the effects See BID/ Page 4
BASS RIVER—A group of alpacas and one llama that were situated on an animal rescue parcel in New Gretna earlier this month, feared left behind after its owners were said to be in the process of relocating to Virginia, have been transported to southern Virginia for continuing care, with New Jersey State Police now declining to pursue the matter further. The owners of Smitten Stables completed the move following concern about the animals expressed at a Jan. 6 Bass River Township Board of Commissioners meeting. Resident Carol Bitzberger contended that she saw five or six alpacas (or possibly llamas) on the property, and that she was under the impression that it had been sold. “Here is the thing, I understand nobody is living in the house, that the people have left, and there are animals there,” she said. Bitzberger’s statement prompted Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope to ask if the animals the resident observed were being cared after. “I don’t know,” Bitzberger said. “That is what I am asking you. I am a little concerned about it. …I am concerned because it (involves) animals, and that is why I was trying to find out some information.” As previously reported by this newspaper, Buzby-Cope, upon hearing Bitzberger’s concerns, said she was not aware of the property having been sold, and could not provide a report on the status of any animals. Some residents, upon learning of the allegations during the meeting, eventually questioned the involvement the township code enforcement officer should have in the matter, and in other matters involving properties that they perceived as blighted and neglected in town. Township Clerk Amanda Somes, after the meeting, said it was the first time that the municipality had heard about the animal concern. A day later, Somes told this newspaper that the municipality had referred the matter to the state police. “We have contacted the state police, and have called the owner, and the owner told them everything is good,” she wrote in an email to this newspaper. “I asked them (the state police) to call him back because, according to what we were told, the owner has since left the area and moved to Virginia.” Somes said that the owner, in a follow up telephone call from the state police, told the agency that he is in the process of moving to Virginia and that the animals are being looked after by an area veterinarian. See LLAMA/ Page 3
INDEX Are We There Yet?.............. 8 Games................................. 7 Marketplace....................... 15 Big Game Guide................S1 Here’s My Card.................. 12 Opinion................................ 9 Dear Pharmacist.................. 6 Leo the Lion Challenge....... 7 Senior Column..................... 8 Events............................... 10 Local News.......................... 2 Worship Guide................... 11
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