mobanmarketHADDONFIELD, NJ — Haddonfield will pay $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit against the borough over the redevelopment of the historic Bancroft campus. As part of the deal, the company trying to build the drug-treatment center on the 8.2-acre parcel has backed out as the property’s designated redeveloper.
The Borough Commissioners voted unanimously at Monday’s meeting to authorize the settlement with 2 Hopkins Lane, LLC (2HL). The federal litigation arose after the Zoning Board rejected the developer’s application to put a residential drug-treatment facility on the property near Haddonfield Memorial High School.
“We are extremely pleased with the favorable resolution of this long-standing dispute,” Kevin H. Marino, 2HL’s attorney, told Patch via email.
Find out what's happening in Haddonfield-Haddon Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The borough announced the resolution to move forward with the settlement on its Facebook page. But a spokesperson for the borough declined further comment, as the litigation remains pending.
Headquartered in Pennsylvania, 2HL is an affiliate of Recovery Centers of America, which provides “cutting edge treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in neighborhood-based residential treatment facilities around the country.”
Click Here: nrl jerseys 2020
Find out what's happening in Haddonfield-Haddon Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In 2015, 2HL agreed to buy the former campus, which once had a school and other facilities for children with developmental disabilities. But public outcry arose when 2HL announced plans to build the drug-treatment center on the 19-acre site next to the high school. The zoning board’s initial rejected resulted in a prior lawsuit from 2HL.
As part of that settlement, Haddonfield purchased the Bancroft School property in 2016, agreeing with 2 Hopkins Lane (2HL) to let the developer option to buy part of it for age-restricted townhomes. The developer had originally planned the residential drug treatment center on the 19.2-acre parcel adjacent to Haddonfield Memorial High School, but agreed to cut that out of the plan in a 2016 settlement agreement with borough officials.
2HL sued again last December, claiming the borough’s decision to block the drug-treatment center violated the New Jersey Law against Discrimination and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.