Highland Park council approves purchase of 15 South Third Ave; residents ask for more outreach as plaza design work begins

The Highland Park Borough Council on Feb. 18 adopted an ordinance authorizing the borough to enter a purchase-and-sale agreement for Block 3001, Lot 5 — 15 South Third Avenue, clearing the way for redevelopment planning for the South Third corridor.

The vote followed a public hearing at which several residents pressed the council for more outreach and detail on the project’s likely effects on traffic, parking and nearby homes. “We wish to be heard,” resident Michael Lattice told the council during the hearing, and other neighbors requested meetings and clearer plans for screening, parking and the Farmers Market’s location.

The council’s ordinance, introduced as 25‑2‑102, was read into the record before the public hearing. The mayor and council members closed the hearing after comments and then moved to adopt the…