We must put the real needs of our community before the financial needs of the Bancroft developer!

The commissioners’ recent changes to the Bancroft Redevelopment Plan should alarm all Haddonfield residents who care about the long-term character of our community. While we should be pleased that the long saga of what to do with the Bancroft site is moving closer to a resolution, we believe that the plot has taken a turn in the wrong direction.

Key Points:

• The commissioners’ recent changes to the 2016 Redevelopment Plan gut its provisions to provide housing for seniors.

• These housing changes were made at the behest of the developer – solely for his benefit.

• Contrary to the commissioners’ claim, the developer was indeed pre-selected.

• Calling something “age-targeted” doesn’t make it so.

• Young families with children are much more likely to buy these townhomes than seniors are.

• The current approach is penny-wise and pound foolish.

• Let’s not sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains.

• We need to put this effort back on track.

Read details at: facebook.com/HaddonfieldEncouragingResponsibleDevelopment

Haddonfield Encouraging Responsible Development (HERD) is a group of concerned residents – including former mayors – who’ve been engaged in Bancroft development issues for many years. We do not question the commissioners’ motives but we must question their judgment in approving changes to the Redevelopment Plan that clearly are not in the best long-term interests of the community.

Since the commissioners have ignored repeated calls over the past two years to re-think their misguided approach, we now have no choice but to invalidate these changes through a lawsuit. Several attorneys have said such a case is justifiable because the commissioners ignored the Planning Board’s recommendations and didn’t follow established law and legal precedent when they adopted these developer-driven changes.

The plaintiffs to the lawsuit are John J. Tarditi Jr, Letitia G. Colombi, Chris Maynes, Ginny Delong, Richard Wells, Richard Morris, Nils Herdelin, and Daniel Tompkins. Numerous other residents are supporters.

We’ve already raised more than $10,000, but will need up to $30,000 to continue our fight for what’s right for Haddonfield and its taxpayers. To help fund our legal challenge to the commissioners' amendments to the Redevelopment Plan, please contribute at gofundme.com/appeal-of-borough-ordinance-201801 or mail a check payable to "HERD" to PO Box 60, Haddonfield NJ 08033. Thank you.

Haddonfield needs 55+ housing at Bancroft – not school-busting townhomes!

We must protect the community we all cherish!