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Lawnside Redevelopment, Lawnside, NJ (2026)

01/03/2023

Oppose Franklin Township redevelopment zone-save our rural character. 91 signatures are still needed!

05/30/2022

So let’s start this ever unraveling saga of the Oak Ave redevelopment project of Lawnside. In 2018, Lawnside signed a contract with Vineland Construction Company (VCC) owner Bernard Brown, also owner of NFI trucking company. Bernard is now deceased, but VCC was handed down to daughter Anne Koons with John Krause running the operation. Supposedly, Lawnside officials gave VCC complete control over the redevelopment project, including freedom to bring in their own contractors and other companies of their choosing. The intended outcome of this decision was banking on the idea that tax revenue generated from these companies like New Jersey American Water Company, IBC, Rezvilla, luxury apartment from Sterling properties and future businesses would help the community in the long run. This plan is similar to the trickle down theory (tax breaks and benefits for corporations and the wealthy will trickle down to everyone else), which sounds good in theory but historically tends to not function well in reality. It is fairly clear through their actions that the local officials are leaning more towards these wealthy corporations to bring wealth into the community quickly. There’s a quote from the mayor in the Inquirer:

“My vision is that through this project, Lawnside will become more financially secure while we preserve the historical value of the community,” said Mayor Mary Ann Wardlow, noting that the American Water facility alone will generate $800,000 annually in property taxes.

That’s equivalent to about 10% of the $8 million Lawnside collected in property taxes in 2020; however, that doesn’t take a lot of burden off the property taxes residents pay. These are pennies on the dollar to American Water, a water privatization company with a yearly revenue of approximately $3.78 billion. American Water has gotten out of paying its fair share of taxes in a minority majority community here in South Jersey. In 2019, American Water received a $164.2 million tax break to move to the Camden waterfront. It’s also not Lawnside’s first time trying to bring in big business even with the area already engulfed by bigger businesses; however, there has still been no change or uplifting of the inner community. The previous mayor Mark Bryant was quoted in 2005 saying “the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few.” At the same time he was pushing eminent domain on a few residents to push this project. But residents pushed back, which eventually put the project on hold.

But as of now, with the direction the development is going, the historical identity in the Oak Ave area is non existent, except for naming some streets after a few historical figures from our community. We are looking a lot like a mirror image of the recent redevelopment by the Camden waterfront, influenced by George Norcross. That was a project that received large tax breaks and incentives for the move. He did this with the help of his brothers and others in creating tax incentive programs in 2013 that allowed them to redevelop in low income communities. A bill put thru by Chris Christi’s New Jersey, the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013, allowed them to increase their wealth while giving little back to the communities they entered.

With that being said, if you look real close, you can see that we are becoming a project of the Norcross political machine. The Lawnside redevelopment plan has several ties to George Norcross, a wealthy New Jersey insurance broker with a stable of loyal Democrats in Trenton. Norcross has for many years been considered the most powerful unelected official in New Jersey politics, regardless of who the governor was. One of his brothers, Donald Norcross, is a U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 1st congressional district and a co-sponsor of the 2013 tax incentive legislation when he was a state senator. His other brother Phil Norcross is a lawyer and lobbyist with deep ties to local and state government. Phil’s law firm Parker McCay was also a huge influence in the legislation that created the incentive programs and companies connected to Norcross received $1.1 billion in tax breaks.

Vineland construction company’s Anne Koons is a campaign donor to Donald Norcross. Koons’s brothers run NFI and Sidney Brown, NFI Chief Executive Officer and company director, has close ties with George Norcross (also a donor to Donald Norcross). Due to his close connection with the Norcross family, Brown was able to get a $79 million tax break to build an office in Camden. Furthermore, American Water is represented by Optimus Partners LLC, the lobby firm of George’s brother Phil Norcross (and is one of the highest grossing lobbying firms in the New Jersey).

So what other companies are gonna receive breaks within the Oak Ave area? It seems like we’re in a situation, where they put a veil over our eyes and down the line we’ll realize they’ve been bleeding us dry. We’re not rich and we don’t share the same values, so what reason would these companies have to care about us? They don’t create these areas to empower us to be successful and become wealthy ourselves; so why would they do something that might take wealth away from them or not generate a quick turn around for higher revenues? Unfortunately, our area gives them the advantage of getting breaks and benefits from tax incentives programs for being in low income areas. They can use us for the tax breaks for hiring a certain percentage of residents; however, they also can avoid hiring some local residents by giving discounted rentals to the employees they bring them in the new luxury apartments (you only have to live in town for 6 months for a company to receive a tax break for hiring local residents). Additionally, they have easy access to the major highways.   Unfortunately, it is easy for these corporation to play on the desperation of the local officials who cater to their needs with no regards for residents’ opinions. This cycle of the destruction of black and brown people has to stop. These entities have been forever using our neighborhoods for warehouses, fast food and larger franchises, especially when this country has built its wealth off of free labor. They’re still doing it…..it just looks different in order to throw you off the scent of their greed.

But we shall no longer be blind
To the ones that feel nothing for us
We shall not fall to the ones
Who seek to destroy us
We shall triumph
By any means necessary

BE VIGILANT

05/23/2022

So these are 2 Lawnside zoning maps from 2005 and 2010, showing how they drastically changed the zoning within a 5 year span. you can find these maps on the Lawnside website. I cleaned up the 2005 map so that you can see the changing of zoning areas. Along with outlining in red the redevelopment areas in the 2010 map.

So Area 3 on the 2005 map now accommodates more commercial warehouses, utility buildings, etc. We are still unaware of what else is going into this area. But definitely nothing that represents Lawnside. Also there is no updated version of the zoning map. But other things have changed within it. I’ll be digging deeper to find those changes and present them here.

During one of the Lawnside meetings. We asked what was going into the empty warehouses and the large area they cleared out ( I will post a video that area also). Local officials said they don’t know, but they’ll know before the businesses open up. We were also told VCC has total control over what's being built. But of course no VCC representative to answer our questions.

BE VIGILANT

05/22/2022

So let’s get started there’s a lot to this story. but for now heres a quick run down.

- Lawnside, a town that is predominantly black and brown, is once again being used for its land. Our town has experienced redevelopment for years along with local officials always pushing for these types of projects. It seems these decisions are made with the hope that bringing in bigger business will generate more revenue for the town instead of trying to create a true business district that looks like us and caters to us. As a result, Lawnside is surrounded by big retail businesses, warehouses, parking lots, storage facilities and other establishments that don’t represent us. The end result is that the businesses of local residents are drowning in a sea of corporate influence. Local officials have stated that the revenue from bigger businesses will aid Lawnside in its growth; however, Lawnside continues to lack affordable storefronts for upstart black and brown entrepreneurs, recreational facilities or other local businesses (wellness center/doctor office, realtor, law office, funeral home, etc) to provide goods and services to the community. Furthermore, the things that we do have often require repairs that seem to never happen. Their actions have not aligned with their words in the recent past or in the present.

- Now they’re developing the Oak Avenue area, which is being completely handled by Vineland Construction Company with little to no influence from the local official and residents. The zoning for this redevelopment area changed from BA (Business District) zoning to a OP (Planned Office Park District) zoning area. The original BA designation was chosen with the idea that the area was suppose to be mostly structures that would help us grow from within our community (affordable storefronts/housing, a medical area, barber shops, restaurants, salons, banks, etc) along with a small area for light industrial buildings. However now with it being a OP zoning area, it will include more commercial warehouses, high end office buildings, etc. In short, the area will be occupied by nothing that represents Lawnside while failing to allow local businesses to establish themselves and/or compete.

So that being said, at this point the area contains
-UPS (which has been there for years)
-Sterling properties luxury apartments (where rent for 1 or 2 bed room range from $1,995-$2,800)
-New Jersey American Water Company (a company that received a large tax break for building one of their places in Camden)
-IBC Rheem heat boiler
-Rezvilla motorcycle online gear store
-Flex buildings which will contain 2 other industries. One may house a cannabis distributor, manufacturer or wholesale while excluding retail or delivery services, which only benefits big business while cutting out the middle man. This is part of a larger problem in the state with New Jersey allowing big business to hoard and get the most of wealth generated from legalizing cannabis. This once again hurts the black and brown communities, who have always been the subject of harassment from cannabis being illegal. Retail and delivery could have allowed black and brown people to build generational wealth and also bring tons of revenue to the town. This is especially true since black and brown entrepreneurs usually have the idea of uplifting their community alongside becoming successful themselves.

-There’s a small area that’s being reserved for a retail and restaurants ( BA zoning area), but it may only have a few storefronts. But since VCC has full control and have their own vision of what businesses are being built in the area. They potentially might have high rental rates. This would block a large portion of residents from being able to start up businesses in the Oak Ave area. Instead, it could most likely be bigger franchises, that once again takes away more of our towns identity.

The only thing that local officials and VCC are promoting is jobs which is one of the multiple ways developers and big businesses receive tax breaks (by keeping the employment rate up at a certain percentage). But we will dig deeper into that discussion in future posts.

This is just a fraction to how corrupt this project is becoming. With tax breaks and incentives being given, ordinances and zoning changes to accommodate developers. There were also closed meetings that deal with the redevelopment that blocked residents from knowing anything that involved the project. Black contractors and investors blocked from also being able to be part of it or knowing where large sums of money is going. Additionally, there are multiple redevelopment projects happening in Lawnside, PSEG extending their structures, the Bell Ave project, etc.

But we will present more findings in the upcoming posts along with solutions, including meetings Lawnside officials are having regarding plans, zoning, etc. and other tools that can help us win this battle. The next post we’ll get into will be how the Oak Ave redevelopment has multiple ties with George Norcross and he’s brothers Donald and Phil. We will discuss their companies and other companies that have ties to them, have received massive tax breaks for developing in low income communities. This extends beyond our town. this level of corruption has spread thru New Jersey for years. The state itself is even trying to fight back against them.

Save our town. Inform yourself, let your voice be heard, fight back. These are our weapons. We should be using them to the fullest.

BE VIGILANT

05/20/2022

Lawnside: Past, Present and Future

Mission statement

This page is dedicated to inform people about the history of Lawnside and organize those who seek to preserve the essence of our community for the future. Big businesses, like Vineland Construction Company, have forced their way into communities to make a profit. Their current construction project is dampening the heritage that keeps Lawnside strong and diminishing the ideal of a black community that creates its own economic and generational wealth.

Redevelopment is one of the most effective ways that big business can assert control over vulnerable populations under the guise that they are uplifting black and brown communities. But at the end of the day, it’s the same song and dance. The land is sold to outside parties instead of local residents or those who have a vested interest in the community. Furthermore, the local officials -who were put in those positions to uphold and protect the residents of this historic town- have failed to take the voices of the residents into consideration before making decisions of this magnitude.

This page is also open to anyone in town or others you know who are aware or want to learn about information regarding the development or mishandling of local government power in Lawnside throughout the years. This is the same song and dance; however, we are working to put the pieces together to create a clearer picture and help prevent the destruction of our town’s history and future legacy.

Lawnside Redevelopment

01/03/2023

05/30/2022

05/23/2022

05/22/2022

05/20/2022

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