If you, too, care about deteriorating properties in Riverton, please come to the Borough Council meeting to be held in person at Borough Hall 505A Howard next TUESDAY, August 16th at 7:00 pm.
We all know that it’s a difficult job to find the right balance – no one wants picky, intrusive code enforcement, but when ongoing issues impact the lives – and property values – of other folks they need to be resolved.
Let’s show our support for our elected officials to enforce the anti-blight housing laws already on the books to resolve obvious problems that are harming neighbors – and historic Riverton itself.
Many residents are troubled that the historic Groves Mansion at 409-413 Lippincott Avenue has been allowed to slip into such disrepair and that its slide is accelerating.
Its ugly “temporary” chain link fence, overgrown shrubbery, vines climbing the back of the house, windows wide open, and the garage door smashed in reflect badly on Riverton – and harm us all.
(Read HSR’s Open Letter, with photos and code citations in the PDF, at this link ).
“Why didn’t anyone do something about this a lot earlier?” is a common sentiment we hear.
We agree that it’s time we “do something about this”. There are also other properties with serious issues, but the Groves Mansion is a high-profile, obvious example. Let’s start by setting a sound, fair policy with it.
HSR’s role is simple: the core of our Mission Statement is “ to discover, restore and preserve local objects and landmarks. ”
HSR’s Board of Directors agreed to make this a priority. HSR President Bill Brown delivered a letter with a detailed list of the code violations we understand to exist, citing chapter and verse from the Riverton ordinances and the New Jersey State Housing Code.
Read his letter yourself (at this link) and spread it far and wide. Tell your neighbors! … and bring them to Borough Council in person on the 17th to show support for preserving our history. If you can’t make the meeting, we also have a petition – please contact us at rivertonhistory@gmail.com to get on our petition – an opportunity to show your support!
The 21-page Open letter also appears below.
