Moorestown Council Considering Land Swap With Lockheed Martin

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Council took the first steps toward a proposed land swap with Lockheed Martin Monday night.

Council unanimously approved a proposed ordinance to exchange the property known as the Nagle Tract with a 12.5 acre piece of land on Borton Landing Road that is currently owned by Lockheed Martin at its meeting Monay night.

It also unanimously approved a proposed ordinance to re-zone the piece of land on Borton Landing Road to accommodate affordable housing, and re-zone the Nagle Tract for business zoning purposes.

These proposals were introduced after Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy last month said a housing complex on the Nagle Tract would pose a national security threat.

They proposed the complex should be built about a mile down the road, on a piece of land that is roughly the same size. Lockheed Martin would assume ownership of the Nagle Tract, which it would leave empty and use as a buffer for the base. Read more here: National Security Concerns Spur Moorestown Land Swap Proposal

The planning board will now consider the proposals during a meeting Thursday night, 7 p.m. (See information below).

The public hearing and final votes on both proposals are set for the June 28 council meeting, which will likely be held in-person with livestreaming. There will be no telephone conference, so anyone wishing to participate must attend the meeting in person.

In a separate presentation, Joseph Del Duca — the General Counsel for The Walters Group —presented its plan for the development on Borton Landing Road.

The plan calls for a mix of 76 market rate units and 76 low- to moderate-income units. At least 25 percent of the units would have to have three bedrooms for Moorestown to qualify for federal tax credits associated with the project. A maximum of 20 percent have to be one-bedroom units, and the rest would have two bedrooms.

Each unit would be designed so that the resident would have direct entrance to their apartment, or they would have to go up just a flight of steps to get to their door.

The complex would include a clubhouse, basketball courts, pickleball courts, a playground and a community space.

The Walters Group, which has developed and managed affordable and market-rate apartment communities since the 1970s, doesn’t expect much of an impact on traffic in the area, Del Duca said.

The expected clientele is professionals who make about $40,000 a year, who live here for a few years, save up money, and move on, Del Duca said.

The application will go through the Planning Board before being approved by council, giving the public several meetings to comment on it, Township Solicitor Kevin Aberant said.

In order to qualify for tax credits, it must be approved and submitted to Fair Share Housing by Aug. 31.

The planning board meeting will be livestreamed on the township’s website. The livestream is not interactive, and you will not be able to participate in the meeting in this format.

The livestream may be accessed by going to www.moorestown.nj.us and clicking on “Live
Meetings” in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage. This will bring you to the “Agendas,
Minutes, Meetings & Recordings” page. Once there, click on the “Township Planning Board
Meeting” link of the meeting you wish to watch.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can email questions or comments prior to the meeting
(no later than 4pm the day of the meeting), to PBcomments@moorestown.nj.us. Type
“Planning Board Meeting Comments” and the meeting date in the subject line.