Atlantic City letter has Humane Society worried about eminent domain
By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer, 609-272-7215
ATLANTIC CITY - The cats, dogs and other animals at the Humane Society of Atlantic City sat quietly in their cages Friday evening, unaware that they might once again become homeless.
A sign taped to the front door told visitors that the Humane Society is in danger of being taken by eminent domain and that supporters should show up for a 10 a.m. Planning Board meeting Wednesday at City Hall.
Steve Dash, director of the county Humane Society, said he received a certified letter Friday informing him that the shelter is part of a 20-acre tract the city is investigating to determine if it is “in need of redevelopment,” or in lay terms, to be declared blighted. If that decision were to be made, it “authorizes the City of Atlantic City to acquire any property within the study area against the owner’s will,” the letter said.
“You know this didn’t just happen this week,” Dash said, adding he was blindsided by the notice and didn’t know if the Planning Board would make its decision next week. “Wednesday doesn’t even give me enough time to contract with the proper attorney for this. They’re really tying my hands to be able to deal with it effectively.”
Looking back, there were clues that something was happening, Dash said. The gas station next door to the shelter closed. Then the shelter applied for a permit to put up a sign and was denied because the property is zoned residential.
A few months ago, a real estate agent came to the shelter and said he had a buyer for the property but offered a price Dash called “a ridiculously low amount.”
City officials reached Friday night said they did not know the plans for the tract, even though the city is listed on the letter as the applicant for the project.
Most of the area, sometimes called Riverside, is vacant land. Since the gas station closed, the Humane Society is the only working business in the tract, which is bordered by Grammercy Avenue, the Clam Thorofare, the Penrose Canal and Absecon Boulevard.
The draft of the city’s master plan, written last October but yet to be adopted, says the tract “has potential to serve as a mini business park” and recommends the zoning be changed from RM-1, low-rise multi-family dwellings, to a business park.
The city owns more than half of the parcels in the tract. Most of the remaining land is owned by BJS Realty of Toms River, according to city tax records.
The Humane Society property was assessed at a little more than $1 million in the recent revaluation, $600,000 for the land and $404,200 for the building, according to tax records.
But Dash is concerned about what the redevelopment plans have in store for the animal shelter, which has been on the site since 1973.
“Thousands of people rely on us for veterinary care and animal sheltering,” he said.
The Humane Society’s clinic serves pet owners who can’t afford veterinary care at private offices, Dash said. If the shelter is seized through eminent domain, they would have no place to take their pets.
It would cost at least $1.5 to $2 million to rebuild the shelter to conform to current building codes, Dash said. That is, if they could get the permit to build at all.
He doesn’t want to move to a rural part of the county, because the clients who need the shelter’s services are mostly urban dwellers, Dash said.
Dash said he wouldn’t mind moving if the Humane Society could find another location in the city and afford to build a new shelter. But the nonprofit group owns its property outright and doesn’t want to borrow money for a new shelter, because then “the money’s going to a mortgage company instead of to the animals,” he said.
Planning Board Chairwoman Jacqueline Carole said Friday night that she is not familiar with the application, but the Humane Society has no need to panic now. Declaring areas blighted takes a lot of work.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Carole said. “The board won’t declare an area in need of redevelopment at one meeting. It takes a lot more time than that, especially if there are objectors.”
Dash said he will make sure there are plenty of objectors at Wednesday morning’s meeting. He is sending an e-mail to all supporters and phoning people to ask them to speak out.
Alley Cat Allies sent an e-mail to its local supporters Friday evening asking them to come to the Planning Board meeting because the Humane Society’s work is critical to the success of their trap-neuter-return program of caring for the feral cats under the Boardwalk.
“I’m sure a lot of our supporters will be there,” Dash said.