Summary: The long awaited Historic Preservation Element of the Master Plan, which has been under review since early 2025, finally had its trial in front of the Land Use Board last night. It did not go well. Sharp critique from the public and from Land Use Board members resulted in a failure to achieve even a motion to vote on the plan. With the vote stymied, board member Bob Adler made a motion to table the plan element and that motion passed unanimously. The plan can be altered and brought back to the Land Use Board at a later date.
The rejected plan is now back with Environmental Resolutions Inc who wrote the document in consultation with a group of “stakeholders”. Council member Kim Burkus, who was in the audience, sharply questioned who was on the stakeholder group but she was not given a single name.
Contacted after the meeting, Council member Tara Astor stated that “all this happened behind closed doors”. Ms. Astor has been particularly active in attempting to get more residents who have applied to the township appointed to open seats on township boards and commissions. But Mayor Banks and Deputy Mayor DiFolco have not supported her efforts to populate these administrative bodies with people who have submitted applications [see article link below].
“I heard about a historic ‘subcommittee’ from the audience just like other residents, but I have no idea who those people are.” Tara Astor
Readers may want to review the following article about the townships failure to fill its open board and committee seats.
Some Concerns Raised During The Meeting
Board member Bob Adler asked whether public communication should have happened before the plan was brought to the Land Use Board.
Board member Stephan Stafford asked whether historically significant African American portions of town should have been in the zone.
Board member Scott Bayley asked whether a Board of Commissioners should have seated and been part of “stakeholders” who evaluated the draft plan.
Resident Audrey Winzinger stated that the old plan and Board of Commissioners worked well for Mount Holly before it was disbanded. She suggested that this new plan be reviewed by a local “task force” prior to being brought back for another vote.
The Reporter asked if Environmental Resolutions Inc [ERI] had consulted with the State Office of Historic Preservation about the unusual variant zones put forward by the plan. ERI said that it had not consulted with the State. The Reporter followed up that it had met with the State Office of Historic Preservation and gotten feed back that they had never seen a plan like the one created by ERI. It should be noted that the township lost its recognition as a “Certified Local Government” which is bestowed by the State. That designation gives Mount Holly opportunities to get state grants that can be applied to projects that would otherwise not have money.