Long-stalled Clementon project is finally launched

Promenade greenways, nature trails, and water views for a townhouse development will sprout next year at a location along a commercial corridor that local leaders hope will mark a rebirth for Clementon.

The developer joined elected officials and other dignitaries Wednesday behind shovels in the old Acme shopping center on the White Horse Pike, where they broke ground for the first phase - 49 upscale townhouses in Leewood Villages at Rowand Pond.

Clementon, a two-square-mile borough in Camden County, has about 5,000 residents. There's a PATCO station about two miles away, Center City is within 20 miles, and Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore are 45 miles in the opposite direction.

Some of those who spoke at the groundbreaking said they began advocating for the project 10 years ago, when they wanted to transform the 30,000 square feet of blighted property that hides the scenic Rowand Pond.

Clementon Mayor Jack Nicholson said that the developer, Jack Fink, saw a "gem" in Rowand Pond, and that Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. had the vision to use local, county, state, and private resources to get the project done.

"At this great milestone," Nicholson said, "I believe in his vision."

Although there were many references to the obstacles, including purchasing the land, they spoke more about the future of a green project designed to be environmentally friendly by properly managing floodwater with a retention basin and building energy-efficient townhouses.

The residences will cost $169,000 to $200,000 and will have all the bells and whistles that Fink, president of the building corporation Leewood NJ L.L.C., cited as desirable to homeowners.

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime to own part of the American dream," Fink said. "Why rent when you can afford to own?"

Monthly payments, based on a 4.5 percent fixed-rate mortgage and tax-abatement incentives, will range from $1,215 to $1,410, officials estimated.

"It's been a long and winding road," Cappelli said, that started when he first took office and "had a full set of hair."

Other proposals failed and "then the great recession hit," Cappelli said, turning to Fink and acknowledging that most developers would have "walked a long time ago."

Nicholson was joined by State Sen. Donald Norcross (D., Camden) and Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (D., Camden), who said they hoped to see Clementon benefit with the new jobs and businesses the development was expected to bring.

Anthony M. Marchetta, executive director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, said he was pleased to have funding for this year and next for the program that keeps the houses affordable.

"Homeownership represents wealth," said Marchetta, the son of immigrant parents who, he said, worked hard to provide a home and education for their children.

The first phase of two- and three-level townhouses is expected to be complete by summer. The entire project will include 205 units, all with garages, private yards, and common green areas throughout the "walking community."

Part of the success, authorities said, will depend on improving nearby low-income housing and other deteriorated properties along the White Horse Pike to attract desirable businesses and more commitments to improve the area.

Clementon Councilman Mark Armbruster, a Democrat, was mayor when plans for the project started 10 years ago.

He stood with the current mayor and said that although he and Nicholson were opponents on the ballot, they worked together to get approval for Leewood Villages because it was the right thing for Clementon. They used eminent domain to get the previous owner to sell the lot.

"They were getting a fair market dollar for it," Armbruster said. "In the end, it worked out well for everybody."