Tax Abatement Reversed

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=485461" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1a500640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Voorhees Environmental and Recreational  Alliance</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </b></FONT><B>    |     </b><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Voorhees Environmental and Recreational "><U><B>home</b></U></A></div> <div> <B>Tax Abatement Reversed</b>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tax Abatement Court Opinion"><U>Tax Abatement Court Opinion</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pat Walsh On Tax"><U>Pat Walsh -  On Tax</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tax Abatement Suit Article"><U>Tax Abatement Suit Article</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tax Abatements for Developers"><U><B>Tax Abatements for Developers</b></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Tax Abatement Reversed</div> <div> <B>PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER </b></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="629" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <B>Tuesday, November 14, 2000 </b></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <B>Page: </b>B09 </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <B>Edition: </b>C </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <B>Zone: </b>NEW JERSEY </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="356"><div> <B>Section: </b>SOUTH JERSEY </div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="262"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="38" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="262" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>JUDGE DENIES TAX BREAK FOR FACILITY IN VOORHEES </b></div> <div> <B>WHILE REJECTING A RESIDENT'S CHALLENGE TO THE TOWNSHIP'S ABATEMENT POLICY, HE VOIDED ONE CASE ON OTHER GROUNDS.</b></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> </b></div> <div> <I>By Brendan January, INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF </I></div> <div>  </div> <div> A Camden County Superior Court judge has denied a Voorhees resident's challenge to the township's policy of granting tax abatements. But he did nullify a 1999 tax abatement given to a developer, saying a Township Committee member was a business partner with the Realtor who sold the developer the land. </div> <bR> <div> Marco Agostini's lawsuit, filed in February, argued that Voorhees has no authority to give tax abatements. Agostini said Voorhees was designated an economic-redevelopment zone by the county in 1979, when the township needed to attract development. But that condition no longer applies to Voorhees, he said. </div> <bR> <div> Specifically, he challenged a break granted in December to Henry C. Steenland for a 140-bed assisted-living facility he plans to build on Route 73. </div> <div> Judge Francis J. Orlando nullified the tax abatement granted to Steenland for two reasons. One is that Jon C. Sarkisian, the Realtor, is one of Committeeman Gary Schlosser's business partners. The other is that Steenland did not secure site-plan approval from the planning board before receiving the abatement, a procedural violation. </div> <bR> <div> Schlosser voted for the ordinance that gave Steenland a tax abatement. </div> <bR> <div> Orlando seemed intrigued with the topic of tax abatements, discussing commercial development and the law in a free-flowing question-and-answer session with Agostini and Township Attorney Jeffrey Beenstock. </div> <div> Orlando stated repeatedly that Agostini had not demonstrated to the court that township economic conditions had changed. Agostini's brief, which contained a Public Service Electric & Gas Co. report and referred to the township master plan, was not sufficient, he said. Agostini needed expert testimony to argue the case, Orlando said. </div> <bR> <div> "It's going to require a lot more work and effort," he told Agostini. </div> <bR> <div> Beenstock argued that Agostini's arguments were more appropriate for the legislature than for the court. The township has the right to grant abatements because a 1992 law allowed townships designated as areas in need of rehabilitation to keep that distinction, he said. </div> <bR> <div> Orlando agreed that the township had the authority to grant tax abatements, but he took care to say he was not ruling on the policy of tax abatements itself. </div> <div> "In the future, someone may challenge [the tax-abatement ordinance] on the premise that the factual underpinnings have altered," Orlando said. </div> <bR> <div> Both sides claimed victory. </div> <bR> <div> "The authority issue was the big one," Beenstock said. Agostini's suit "could have struck down the entire program. We do have authority." </div> <div> Beenstock added that Steenland has the right to reapply for a tax abatement. </div> <div> Agostini was also pleased. </div> <bR> <div> "The argument that the township does not have the authority was left open to future challenges, and I intend to do that," he said, "unless the township cancels the abatement program entirely." </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>