Home > News > 2007 > Public Advocate holds Mount Holly Hearing as Part of Investigation into Redevelopment Practices, 12/12/07
Public Advocate holds Mount Holly Hearing as Part of Investigation into Redevelopment Practices, 12/12/07
Public Advocate holds Mount Holly Hearing as Mount Holly, N.J. - Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen held a public hearing in Mount Holly tonight as part of the Department's investigation into local redevelopment activities, the use of eminent domain and the impact those practices are having on New Jersey communities.
For the past 18 months, the Public Advocate has been engaged in efforts to reform the redevelopment process to ensure that citizens are treated fairly, receive adequate protections from abuse, and receive adequate compensation and relocation assistance if they are displaced by redevelopment.
Tonight's hearing was held to take public testimony about the ongoing efforts to redevelop of the Mount Holly Gardens area. In Mount Holly, residents and an advocacy group called Citizens in Action sued the township claiming, among other things, that their neighborhood is not blighted, that the redevelopment plan will have a discriminatory impact, and that the township has not planned adequately for their relocation. They also argued that the redevelopment project could lead to the demolition of a significant amount of the town’s affordable housing, in violation of the Mount Laurel doctrine. Both the trial court and the Appellate Division have ruled against the residents, and on December 6, 2007, their petition for review by the New Jersey Supreme Court was denied.
“I want to stress that we are going to Mount Holly to conduct a fact-finding hearing and we have not reached any conclusions about the redevelopment process in that community. After hearing complaints from the residents, we want to hear directly from them how they have been affected by redevelopment, and we also want to hear the town’s perspective on this project,” said Chen. Read Chen's Opening Remarks |
