Information has been circulating about the potential for land development on 63 acres in East Greenwich Township in the area of Pine Mill Road, where it runs adjacent to Boodys Mill Road at Block 1304, Lot 11.
I cannot speak for East Greenwich, but it’s my understanding that no formal application has been submitted to that township’s Land Use Office for that particular parcel of land. It’s also my understanding that this consideration falls under Fair Share Housing, with 20% of the apparent 350 proposed town houses being affordable units.
As far as Mantua is concerned, our MUA was contacted on Feb. 4 by Ariana Daydan, who is a civil project engineer from Pinchin LLC. She requested information regarding the location of water and sewer mains in the area of Schaub Road and Jessup Mill Road here.
The purpose of the request seems to be a potential connection and service from the Mantua MUA to East Greenwich’s Block 1304, Lot 11. Daydan was informed by our MUA that prior to any formal future considerations to connect to Mantua’s systems, a formal application and a formal request for a feasibility study would have to be submitted to our MUA.
According to our MUA Executive Director Charles Jones, no formal application or request for a feasibility study has been submitted for any such East Greenwich Township land development project as of this time. All questions or concerns can be directed to the East Greenwich Land Use Office, secretary Stephanie McCaffrey, at (856) 423-0654, ext. 8102, as this is not a Mantua consideration or within our municipal jurisdiction.
Any Mantua MUA questions or concerns should be directed to Jones at (856) 468-1111.
- The Glassboro-Camden line
- There is misinformation circulating about the proposed Glassboro-Camden line (GCL) as it relates to quiet zones. I’ve stated this relentlessly over the years, this is not a Mantua project or within the township committee’s jurisdictional control.
I tasked our township administrator, Jennica Bileci with contacting the GCL project team to obtain the latest update on quiet zones as it relates to Mantua and the proposed train stops within our jurisdiction. On March 26, Bileci had a virtual meeting with Rick Engel, DRPA Manager of Government Relations, along with the GCL Project Manager, Nicole Ochroch.
As a reminder, a quiet zone is a section of a rail line at least one-half mile in length that contains one or more consecutive at-grade crossings at which train horns are not routinely sounded as trains approach. The GCL project team currently has three identifiable stops in our township: Lambs Road, Center Street and Mantua Boulevard. Those could be under review for quiet zones, with Center Street being a priority.
Ochroch advised during the Mach 26 meeting that the required safety measures will be in place for the entire GCL alignment in order to meet the standards to have designated quiet zones that will in fact be funded by the project. Ochroch explained that officials are still working with Conrail, which is one of their obstacles, as well as identifying funding for the rail system.
Ochroch said that there have not been a lot of new updates to report, which is why Mantua has not received any new communications from the project team’s office. Contrary to misinformation, there are no formal actions required by the township at this time as it relates to potential quiet zones. There are no application deadlines, since the zones would not be implemented until after the actual construction of the proposed rail line.
Mayors’ meet
The Gloucester County Mayors’ Association Meeting on March 31 was held at LaScala’s Fire in Glassboro. The dinner was to honor the municipal clerks and other staff who provide dedicated and valuable services to our respective communities throughout the county.
It’s always great to be able to recognize our valuable team members at this annual dinner. Their hard work, professionalism and commitment to keeping our community running strong every day makes a lasting difference. We’re grateful for their efforts year round, and this was just a very small token of our appreciation.
