SJ Magazine - The Heart of South Jersey

Small Towns, Smart Moves
SJ communities design plans to increase tax revenue

When Governor Christie mandated a two-percent cap on property tax increases two years ago, SJ towns were on their own to find ways to fund their municipal budgets. Most turned to their master plan – and quickly realized they needed a new one to spur growth.

But a lot goes in to developing a plan that will grow a town. You must consider how much space there is to build on, and how much will be left for residents to play on. Then there’s tax assessments and trying to relieve the burden for homeowners even with the two-percent cap. And to top it off, everyone wants to feel happy and safe in their hometown, so your efforts should be focused on improving the quality of life for the people who live there. So after considering all the unique factors, many towns have set in motion ambitious plans to help their towns expand.

"In today’s economic climate, if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” says redevelopment attorney Jim Maley of Maley and Associates. "I think you’ll find every town – especially in the economic world today – is looking for a way to expand their ratable base without changing the nature of their town. With the two-percent cap, you can only generate revenue to keep things going by expanding the base. That’s what needs to be done, and everybody’s doing it a little differently.”

In Gloucester County, several towns have created master plans that work within their unique situations. Some don’t have much room left to develop, so they must find creative ways to bring in new tax revenue. Others have seen a whirlwind of uncontrolled growth, while others are just getting started and eyeing acres and acres of untouched land.

Glassboro: The College Town

Best known as the home of Rowan University, Glassboro is in the middle of a $300 million redevelopment project.

"About ten years ago we started a redevelopment program in the center of town, and that sparked development all over town,” explains Glassboro Council President Tony Fiola. "We bought up some rundown neighborhoods in the center of town and put in a new street called Rowan Boulevard. There’s a Barnes and Noble there now and a huge building that houses some students, but the plan is to move in retail stores. One section that was just completed will contain casual restaurants and clothing stores.”

A hotel is in the works, as well as new parking lots, offices, light retail and formal restaurants. When complete, Rowan Boulevard will have over 1.5 million square feet of retail, office and residential space. About 25 percent of the project is complete, with a finished project expected in five or ten years.

Students can walk from campus to Rowan Boulevard along a new 26-acre, pedestrian-friendly corridor stretching from the campus to the center of downtown. Beyond the new Rowan Boulevard project, over the last five years the town has purchased and developed open space for baseball fields and passive recreation.

"There isn’t a lot of residential development going on, and that is actually good news,” says Fiola. "Too high a percentage of residences results in high taxes, so we need commercial ratables in order to give our residents tax relief, which is the basis of our redevelopment plan.”

Fun Fact: The Glassboro Summit Conference between U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin took place in Glassboro in June 1967.

Harrison Township: Out of the Gate

While only four small towns – Mullica Hill, Richwood, Jefferson and Ewan – make up Harrison Township, its population has grown more than 50 percent in the last decade. More than 13,000 residents live within its 19.2 square miles.

"Mullica Hill is a very historic town that has a downtown Main Street with older Victorian-style homes. It’s listed on the National Historic Registry,” says Mayor Louis Manzo. "In the outskirts, sub-divisions have emerged with larger – and in many cases expensive – homes. Harrison Township is noted in Gloucester County for having the highest median income, and it’s still one of the faster-growing townships in the state.”

But because the town was designed as mostly a bedroom community, the lack of businesses has placed a huge tax burden on residents. Only about five percent of tax ratables come from businesses, something the mayor hopes to improve.

A large, ambitious development project in Richwood has recently been approved. "It’s a town coming out of this virgin farmland of 380 acres that will be developed with 1,200 to 1,400 rooftops for a mix of single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums, plus a million square feet of commercial use,” says Manzo. "It is all centered and hubbed by a town center that will have retail shops with residences on top.”

The project could take up to 15 years to build. The first stage, set to break ground this fall, will include 400,000 square feet of commercial and office space, with stores opening a year later. Part of the plan includes four consumption liquor licenses to attract new restaurants.

The new Route 322 bypass – scheduled to open this month – was designed to offset existing traffic issues, as well as any new traffic problems caused by the redevelopment. A streetscaping project providing new sidewalks, flowerpots and streetlights for a mile stretch on Main Street will begin this spring.

"The impact of 700,000 to a million square feet of commercial and office space will be huge on our tax base,” adds Manzo.

Fun Fact: The Main Street Historic District was listed on the National Historic Registry in 1991, and Harrison Township established the State’s first Tax Abatement Program in a historic district in 2009 to encourage investment and restoration of its Victorian structures.

Woodbury: Making Room

Despite being an established town with little room to grow, Woodbury has opportunity for new development, and after years of unsuccessful efforts seems to be poised to redevelop its main street.

With the purchase of the bankrupt Woodbury Country Club, Parke Bank is working with township officials to plan a mixed-use community on the 40 acres. "It’s rare for a town as established as Woodbury to have such a large piece of undeveloped land, so the opportunity for the town is huge,” says Maley, who represents Parke Bank. "The town will be able to expand ratables by building on empty ground – not tearing down buildings.”

Officials are also working to enhance their town center, focusing their plans on a proposed high-speed rail line between Camden and Glassboro that will include two Woodbury stops, one north and one south. Although the project’s completion is 20 years away, redevelopment projects now are being designed with the new speedline in mind.

"The plan includes mixed-use buildings, so a lot of the buildings will have retail on the first floor and living space on the second and third floors,” explains Ronda Abbruzzese, economic development director. "That puts eyes on your street for safety and security. We are also in talks with a grocery store, who could be in business by this time next year. Near Underwood Hospital, we are working to attract professionals. For example, we could offer office space to young doctors who are getting ready to open a new practice, and they could actually live above their office.”

Along Broad Street’s commercial corridor, a new 49-seat Italian restaurant was the first business to sign on in a push to boost economic development. A new diner will open in the spring.

Fun Fact: Woodbury was the first town in the nation to mandate recycling in 1980.

Woolwich Township: Getting Control

The fastest growing community in the state, Woolwich has seen tremendous growth, exploding from about 3,000 residents in the 2000 census to more than 10,000 today. Town officials are moving fast to slow down – or at least manage – any continued growth.

"In 1998, a general development plan was granted for 4,500 residential units, and that started most of the residential growth,” says Mayor Sam Maccarone. "With all the families moving in, it’s had a big impact on our tax rate, especially with the schools. If all that residential growth had continued to happen without any balance of commercial growth, the taxes would have gotten out of control.”

The township is now planning a large, mixed-use commercial zone with 1.4 million square feet of retail space on three sites on

Route 322, along the turnpike. Plans include businesses at street level, with townhomes, apartments and flats above them. The combination of retail and residential should encourage a walkable community, says Maccarone.

"This is an ideal location for commercial development,” he adds, "and the project will impact tax relief for residents.”

Fun Fact: Three generations of Maccarones have been Mayors of Woolwich Township – Sam, his father and grandfather.