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Resident urges preservation of Freeway Golf Course as council cautions because zoning application is pending; Green Acres grants noted
Summary
A resident told council Freeway Golf Course is historically significant (described as the first Black-owned golf course in North America) and urged council to oppose a proposed 743-unit redevelopment; council said the property is privately owned and an application is before the zoning board and therefore members should refrain from public comment. Council also reported recent Green Acres grant awards totaling $1,530,000 for local open-space projects.
A resident and longtime community member told Gloucester Township Council the Freeway Golf Course is a historic and cultural resource and urged the council to speak up against a redevelopment plan he said would replace the course with 743 residential units.
"To me, that is very significant...this is the first blackowned golf course, not in the county, not in the state, in all of North America," said Brian Burns, who told council the site hosted notable events and should not be cleared for dense residential development. Burns asked each council member to state on the record whether they supported preserving the property.
Council responded that the property was sold to a private owner and that an application is before the zoning board; officials repeatedly cautioned that council members should avoid public statements that could be seen as prejudicing the pending zoning review. "We have to be very careful about commenting...this is going to the zoning board and they're requesting variances," the council president said.
Council also addressed Burns’s earlier questions about Green Acres public access and grants. The council said residents can access Green Acres information online and reported recent grant awards: $1,325,000 for a playground structure and gazebo at Gloucester Township Community Park and $205,000 for a project at 1550 Hider Lane. Council said it would follow up on whether a direct Green Acres link can be added to the township website.
The transcript does not record a formal council position on the Freeway Golf Course redevelopment; the matter was described as a zoning-board application in the hands of the private owner and the zoning board, and council members declined to take a public stance during the meeting to avoid interfering with that process.
