Opposition Helps Scrap Haddon Twp. Affordable-Housing Plan

What a difference a scrapped affordable-housing plan makes.

who had just heard about a plan being floated to build a 52-unit affordable-housing apartment building in their neighborhood. Teague had given what amounted to a thumbs up in a township commissioners meeting earlier in the month.

The nascent plan was to declare a troubled auto dealership lot on the Black Horse Pike at Walnut Avenue a redevelopment zone. Then a builder who had a stalled market-rate apartment project in another part of town would swoop in and buy the sprawling car lot and build affordable housing there in hopes it would settle a lawsuit with a local housing advocacy group.

Problem was, West Collingswood Extension wasn't having it. Residents pushed back and the budding plan crumbled. Teague told a gathering of about three dozen neighbors Wednesday the builder, the Walters Group, is not likely to buy the property now. But the mayor pressed on with an effort to convince them a redevelopment zone at the Black Horse Pike Auto Complex would still be a good idea to influence what comes next at the dealership, which is in foreclosure.

That conversation seemed to be one the neighbors didn't mind having. Francine Tryka, a community leader, talked about why in the video included in this article.

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