The board of education swore in its new members – Matt Ritter, Stephanie Benecchi and Meg Hollingworth – at a Jan. 2 meeting.
With the new year upon us, here are some of the 2025 projects Haddofield residents can look forward to.
Developments
Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich anticipates two ribbon-cuttings this year on major projects. The Place – commonly known as Snowden Avenue – will debut in spring with 20 affordable-housing units of one, two and three bedrooms. And summer will bring with it a new headquarters for police at 1 Walnut St.
The eight units/properties the borough pursued in 2020 and ’21 – introduced as filler sites to reduce the density of the project from 28 units to 20 – are expected to be ready this year.
“It’s taken us three to four years just to do everything, from creating the housing agency that will own and operate those (units) to finishing repairs and rehabilitations,” the mayor noted. “Bringing the property up to code to make it compliant and all of that has been happening over the last two to three years.”
Boxwood Hall, purchased by borough residents and Cafe Lift owners Jeniphur and Michael Pasquarello, is being converted into a boutique hotel with a restaurant on site. The plan will come before the Historic Preservation Committee and planning board for approval this month or next.
As for Bancroft, Haddonfield commissioners have until Feb. 10 to finalize a purchase and sales agreement with the developers, Woodmont Properties.
“Right now, if there is no Woodmont (as a redeveloper), if there is no plan, we’re back to square one and in violation of the court order, as well as the settlement agreement,” Bianco Bezich warned.
Elections
At the Jan. 2 annual reorganization meeting for the board of education, Matt Ritter, Stephanie Benecchi and Meg Hollingworth were sworn in as new members, both of them re-elected in November.
All three open commissioner seats will be filled by an election in May. The term is four years, from 2025 to 2029.
Potential projects
One of the projects the borough hopes to see progress in the new year is proper closure for Crow’s Woods, where soccer fields sit on a former landfill never formally closed by order of the state Department of Environmental Protection. According to former coverage by The Sun, “the landfill portion of the property was capped and stabilized through the placement of both concrete slabs and fill material mainly sourced from nearby major construction projects.”
“I really have been wanting to move forward with planned improvements for the proper closure for Crow’s Woods,” said Bianco Bezich, “and getting our kids on beautiful and safe and beautifully designed playing fields there, and also giving more space to gardeners and residents who don’t necessarily play sports.
“Ideally, in the first six months of the year,” she added, “we would pursue that as a redevelopment land area to qualify for brownfields funding and look for a $7.5-10 million redesign and construction of new playing fields.”
