Egg Harbor City eyed for downtown stimulus project

Nov, 18-2009 4:49 pm

By CHRISTIAN MANAHAN
Staff Writer

EGG HARBOR CITY – A new building project is coming to the 100 block of Philadelphia Avenue, courtesy of the federal government’s stimulus program.

South Jersey Economic Development District plans to construct a two-story building and a four-story building side by side to accommodate commercial uses, professional offices, and affordable senior citizen housing, the agency's executive director said during a City Council meeting Thursday, Nov. 12 at City Hall.

Gordon Dahl said the buildings would nearly total close to 24,000 square feet of space and would include 16 affordable senior housing units.

As for parking, it will be available at the rear of the building and on Philadelphia Avenue.

The agency plans on initially owning the retail space, until it finds a suitable owner. As for the units, they will be all owner occupied.

Dahl made a brief presentation of the project before members of City Council and the public.

Although the agency does not need approvals for the stimulus project, on Tuesday, Nov. 17 the agency went before the Planning Board for an informal review and recommendations. Dahl said that it would only be appropriate to include the city in the process.

“The meeting gave (the Planning Board) an opportunity to review the floor plans and see a front elevation (artist’s rendering) of it, at least in conceptual form,” Dahl said.

“It will be a chance for the public to get informed. We want to make this a transparent process.”

The agency plans on coming back before the Planning Board to make at least one more informal presentation about the stimulus project at a later date.

Dahl said the agency received $500,000 for the project through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on Oct. 15. It has 180 days from the award date to complete the downtown project or risk losing the funds for the project.

“We are going to be planning and building on the fly,” Dahl said.

Another $400,000 of grant money came from a community block grant, which the agency plans on using for land acquisitions.

The city has provided $150,000 from one of its existing grants to finance any “soft costs.”

Currently the Millville-based agency owns the site, 145-147 Philadelphia Ave., that would be used for the four-story building. Dahl said his agency is still in negotiations with the owners of the adjacent property, 141-143 Philadelphia Ave. He does not foresee land acquisition being much of a problem.

“We are on a fast track to get this thing complete because we have a fairly narrow window to get it done,” Dahl said. “We want to make sure the (city and the Planning Board are) happy with the approach. Ideally, we want to try and avoid having to redesign.”

Established under the state’s Interlocal Services Act, the South Jersey Economic Development District assists Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties with fostering economic development.

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