Councilman Weng Discusses MOTUS Project

 - Post by Councilman Matt Weng

As some of you may know, a few of our neighboring towns, including Glassboro, Harrison, and Mantua, have entered into a joint redevelopment plan that could potentially impact Pitman near Alcyon Woods.

A company called MOTUS has been working closely with Rowan University to develop Rowan's West Campus Fields into a large sports training complex, with plans for an indoor training center, more than 50 athletic fields, artificial turf fields, baseball fields, tennis courts, outdoor track and field venues, a hotel, and retail space.
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A small portion of the facility, a few baseball fields, could possibly be located within Pitman, on land that is currently privately owned, usually referred to as Zee's Farm. However, that land, as currently zoned, would not permit such a use without permission from the Planning and Zoning Board and/or the Borough. Neither the current owner, nor MOTUS, has applied for such permission.

Additionally, council has been receiving regular updates on the progress of this project from our borough planner. Mayor Johnson and Borough Administrator O'Donnell have attended meetings and remain up to date on the current status. From the latest information we have, there is currently no deal in place to sell the privately owned land in Pitman to MOTUS. Negotiations for any such sale, if there are any, are at a very preliminary stage, and there's no guarantee they will ever be successful.

MOTUS has stated that if they are unable to acquire the land, or unable to change the zoning, they would adjust the rest of their fields and move the baseball fields out of Pitman.

You may find some more information on MOTUS's website, although I caution you it looks like it hasn't been updated in a few months and some details may be out of date. I have also included a link to an article on the project from the Press of Atlantic City.

MOTUS website

Press of Atlantic City

I want to let you all know this so you have the latest information. Representatives from MOTUS will be at the September 24, 2018 Council Meeting, starting at 7:00pm. If you have any questions about this project or if you're looking for more information I encourage you to attend!

As always, Mayor and Council welcome your questions and input regarding issues that concern our borough. If you cannot make the public meeting on September 24th, please consider sending an e-mail. You can find our borough email addresses here: LINKS

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