We need this facility in town the Borough needs housing for older residents .Families in Town want to have their senior members to live close to them Gottardi a neighbor and former member of HPC threat to sue is unfortunate since the Town needs to welcome the housing facility with open arms.

I agree that a rebuilt facility would be a nice and welcome improvement over what is there. I am fully supportive EXCEPT, for the excessive scale and extent of the massing increase. That has always been the issue for the neighbors and the HPC. These issues were paid lip service and were never meaningfully addressed by the applicant. No real compromise was ever reached and our boards were all to accommodating and played right into their hands. Again, I'm in favor of the concept and use, but the scale and extent of increase was not something they had a right to and I am saddened that the objections of the neighbors were unanimously disregarded by the two boards. I can only hope that those who viewed this approval as no big deal are never in that helpless and vulnerable position at the hands of these boards in the future. Only the HPC understood this, but their decision to request a more appropriate reduced size was rejected. This massive density increase was a win for a big time developer and a loss for the little guy.

What?....The Zoning Board approved Brandywine....I'm shocked! Wise up....this isn't about caring about older folks....they are a huge money-making corporation....that's their objective for heaven's sake. That's OK, but not at the expense of the tax-paying residents of the neighborhood whose quality of life, not to mention property values will be adversely affected....the HPC's hard work in this town just doesn't seem to matter a bit. As Bill T. said it was a big win for the big guy and a big loss for the little guy; a sad and alarming trend in this town any more. As for Radnor field....after the BOE sells it to help fund the future development of Bancroft, you can be sure that the poor folks in that part of town will have their lives turned up-side-down by some unwanted development. Haddonfield suffers from a bad case of "I can't see it from my house" syndrome.

I am firmly convinced that Radnor field will NEVER be sold. The community would never, ever allow it. Read my lips, it will not happen. Fields are in far too short supply and the groundswell of local opposition would make even the mild consideration of it, ill advised. We have already witnessed that when the mere mention of it nearly brought pitchforks to the streets . Having said that, John Stokes' self serving attempts to strip the BOE of their full bundle of property rights is similarly ill advised and a ridiculous waste of time. Further, he is trying to hold the Bancroft proposal hostage if he does not get what he wants. As I have said before, the hypocrisy of his aggressive actions to protect his own property after totally disregarding the neighbors of Brandywine is blatant. There is no viable excuse for such divergent viewpoints on similar situations. He did not even pretend to have any concern for the neighbors whatsoever at the recent Planning Board meeting on Brandywine. Bottom line, we should respect property rights of applicants, but should all defend all of our neighborhoods from unreasonable development proposals and density grabs, not just the ones we see from our own properties.

Bill - You're wrong on this one. Brandywine expanding their facility will have ZERO effect on the quality of lives of the Moore Lane/Warwick residents. ZERO effect. The planning board and zoning board made the right, reasonable decisions. Gottardi is a whining baby and he got what he deserved.

NIMBY! What a bunch of whiners

I love the personal attacks. What a great community we live in!

I've often wondered why the big business Brandywine would spend 1.7 million to purchase this propery if they didn't know that they would get approval for their proposed and " needed " expansion to make this purchase viable. It certainly would not be considered a wise investment in my mind. But then again, obviously they are smarter than me.

Personal agendas aside, there is no way you can say "zero affect" to adjoining properties. Nor should a board member be allowed to continue serving the borough after displaying such conflict of interest. I hope the alternates are prepared to step up!

I think Haddonfield is the best community around but we sometimes have trouble looking out for each other. I don't care who did what or who lives in what neighborhood. Brandywine will be built right up to the back yards of our neighbors at Moore Lane. I'd hate that in my backyard
Radnor Field field was donated and the only piece of open space left in that part of the neighborhood. It was not meant to be sold under any circumstances. If Mr. Radnor saw what people have tried to use it for he'd be doing flip flops 6 feet under.
If Bancroft passes the Haddonfield sports campus is a reality. They'll be no need Radnor Field. As it was already up for proposal to put COAH housing in you better believe sooner or later it will be sold to pay down the unbelievable debt we'll have accrued.
In 1980 I talked to Dudley Newbold, then top realtor in Avalon. He told me the 42nd st. bay expansion was the only time Avalon marshland would be developed. He cited Federal wetland protection.
Drive 30th st. leading into town and take a look to your left. There are condos and houses built on marshland that look like they're about to fall into the causeway.
Any piece of property can be sold, especially Haddonfield real estate.
We're facing fractious times in Haddonfield. Our neighborhoods need to look out for each other.

Tom, I agree with you on alternatives stepping up. We have a severe lack of leadership going on.

Radnor was never seriously considered for development and the public will would never allow it to happen. Fields are in too short supply and there is no way that will ever be sold off. We saw that and everybody took it seriously.

What most quality suburban communities seem to understand and and what appears to be lost on our boards, commissioners and some residents is that high density is a threat to our village-like quality of life. Trying to jam too much activity and building density onto certain parcels is simply a bad idea. The people on Moore Lane and Warwick understand that, and I will bet the people on Center Street wish that all of that extra density thrown on top of Kings Court was not exacerbating the parking shortages in their neighborhood. High density creates new stresses upon otherwise balanced neighborhoods and neighbors are smart to resist such intrusions, particularly when the landowners possess no specific rights to create the density.

Joe T. Given your astute knowledge of anything stick to the topics of Bancroft, turf and its cost to the taxpayer instead to trying to change the topic to other avenues of finance and taxation like you do all the time.
No matter how much Bill Tourtellotte and I argue on points I respect him because says what he believes and stands by it.
By your own admissions you're a turf fundraiser and your way of operating is to post other people's property taxes lower than yours while stating yours at 14k. What was the purpose of that? You pay higher taxes so that makes you more important than other residents?
if you're smart you'll stick to the subject at hand and defend your turf. It needs it.
Personally, I love it when you throw the other nonsense out because people have you figured out.

Holy cow.....how did this get into a forum about our National debt (and before you start calling me a left leaning Liberal, Joe T. I can assure you I'm not!) However, if you are going to post....stick to the subject and consider using your real name and not hide behind some nom d' plume....I don't always agree with Bill, Brian or others, but at least we have the courage of our convictions and the cajones to use our real names!

Unfortunately, Joe Taxpayer's posts are always about how "stupid" and "liberal" people are. I know many in Brian Kelly's group and they run the full spectrum from conservative to moderate to liberal. They share a common interest in excellent education for our kids (and I have one myself in the public schools) at a reasonable price. Anytime we complain about the increasing costs we're branded Saul Alinsky "liberals" one day and tea party "conservatives" the next. Clearly there are those who will lob any sort of charge in order to make attempt to make their point, which ultimately they fall to make.

"Clearly there are those who will lob any sort of charge in order to make attempt to make their point, which ultimately they fall to make."
Exactly! Reread the posts attacking the BOE and commissioners from everything from being stupid to not having the best interests in mind to conflicts of interest to misinformation about grants and revenue offsets and open space uses....you name it.

Maryann, the issue in this story and all others is always the same....taxes, money and finances. the article and comments above are about that. Brandywine will invest money in our town (money) and then pay more taxes to help offset other expenses. That's what is so great about it!

but if we are gonna have a strict rule about comments, then whoever brought up Radnor field here should get detention.

Jack S, I don't believe I called you a liberal or tea partier. Reread my post, I highlighted that DC libs don't have basic math skills yet they spend money they don't have causing us to borrow more and more and no one here complains about it except when the same exact thing is being discussed for us.

Are all new taxes and all new spending and new debt bad or not? I don't like hypocrisy.