COURIER-POST OFFERS IT'S OPINION; "Winslow Mayor Sue Ann Metzner says the deal is a "win-win-win" for the township. She's right."

Winslow deal shows court can be avoided

Wednesday, March 29, 2006


Other communities battling developers' plans can learn from this example of negotiations.

Winslow Township officials and a developer that plans to build there have offered an important lesson to other South Jersey communities: land-use disagreements don't have to be settled in court with taxpayers footing the bill.

Last week, the township reached a deal with AST Development Corp. over what to do with the 64-acre Jennings farm. The deal appears to be one the developer and local officials and residents are happy with. And it was struck because the developer and township officials did the right thing and decided to take another crack at discussion just before a lengthy and expensive court battle was likely to begin.

Winslow Mayor Sue Ann Metzner says the deal is a "win-win-win" for the township. She's right.

Under the new plan, AST will develop the farm, just off Berlin-Cross Keys Road, building about 200 homes for people 55 and older along with retail and office space.

AST originally proposed building more than 500 units on the Jennings farm. Metzner had called that plan greedy because it tripled the number of units the township allows per acre. In response, the township last year approved taking the farm by eminent domain to stop the plan.

Winslow's reaction went overboard, and the Editorial Department said so ("Winslow, developer should avoid court," editorial, Sept. 28).

Luckily, both sides were open to discussion.

Under the new plan, AST will give 20 acres, nearly a third of the land, back to the township. The 20 acres, valued at $1.6 million, will be used to expand the adjacent Frank Donio Memorial Park. The township also could build an indoor recreation facility or add more sports fields.

Now, residents who had so strongly opposed AST's plan are getting behind the firm's proposal.

"It's a home run. I hope the rest of the community feels that way," said resident Greg Buttari, a leading opponent of AST's original proposal. "I'm not going to go out and lobby against them. I think it's a good deal for the community, and I think we ought to go with it."

That residents such as Buttari could come around so thoroughly and parties locked in a war of words could put that aside and come up with something to please everyone shows how important it is to exhaust all chances at negotiation before going to a judge.

Often, legal battles over development in communities across the region end up taking months or years to decide in court. Land sits in limbo. Residents are upset and unsure about what's going on -- and they must pay the steep legal bills for their local governments to wage legal battles.

AST and Winslow officials deserve credit for working hard to avert such a battle. With the concessions that have been made, the new plan seems to benefit all sides.