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Residents tell Camden County commissioners road near East Camden is dangerous, ask for evening meetings and more for‑sale housing options
Summary
Public commenters raised safety concerns about Federal and River Road and the Route 130 intersection, asked the county to hold meetings at evening times, and questioned why affordable‑housing funding has favored rental units over for‑sale homes.
Several Camden County residents used the public‑comment portion of the commissioners meeting to press for traffic safety fixes, evening meeting times so more constituents can attend, and policy changes to foster homeownership rather than only rental housing.
Ulysses Delgado, a Camden resident and activist, described a dangerous stretch near Federal and River Road and said he has lobbied the county and city for two years. "I have called the county and I have been to the city council," Delgado said. He asked the county to pave the section of road and add traffic control measures where drivers speed past homes; Delgado suggested a traffic light at Federal Street and Route 130 or, if that is not feasible, a stop sign or speed bump.
Deputy County Administrator Harris responded that a contract has been awarded for repaving work and that the county can perform a traffic study on 30th Street and Federal Street because it is a county road. "The contract's been awarded," Harris said. "As far as your 30 Second Street in Federal, we can do a traffic study out there for speed control." Harris added the Route 130 intersection is under discussion with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and tied to the Admiral Wilson Boulevard project.
Christian Navarro, a Camden resident, asked why county meetings were scheduled at midday, when many constituents cannot attend. Navarro also asked for transparency on vendor payments and contract performance audits, requesting an itemized vendor payment list and audits that measure program outcomes rather than just accounting accuracy. The director asked Navarro to leave his contact information so staff could respond to each question.
A caller identified as Blake (first name only) said he supports more for‑sale housing opportunities for younger residents and asked what provisions exist to promote homeownership instead of rental units. A county staff member identified as Rob said developers who want to build housing for sale are eligible for county funding but that few have applied in recent years. "Developers can apply for this funding ... developers who want to build housing for sale are eligible, we just have not seen anyone applying for it," Rob said, adding that the county operates a HUD first‑time homebuyer program that can assist some households.
Rick Short, an activist from Cherry Hill who said he has assisted on local campaigns, urged volunteerism in Camden schools and raised concerns about antisemitic rhetoric in demonstrations he described taking place outside the county. Nicole Nance of Cherry Hill asked the board to consider holding at least some meetings in the evening to increase public participation; the director noted the county holds separate evening town‑hall meetings with regional officials and pointed attendees to the county website for dates and locations.
Why it matters: residents pushed for immediate safety measures on a road they described as dangerous, requested greater transparency about county contracts and audits, and sought more local opportunities for homeownership — issues that, if acted on, would affect neighborhood safety, accountability and housing access.
The public portion was closed before commissioners entered a closed‑session discussion; the transcript records no follow‑up votes on specific requests during the public portion.
