The former Pinelands Branch Library at 39 Allen Avenue in Medford is the subject of a redevelopment plan. South Main Street is to the right. The new branch is on the first floor of Medford Town Hall.
A former library in Medford that checked out books for nearly 50 years to patrons from Pinelands communities may be repurposed or demolished under a plan due this spring to the Township.
The Township this month began seeking redevelopment proposals for the property at Allen Avenue and South Main Street. Suggested plans for the former Pinelands Branch of the Burlington County Library System are due May 13.
Opening in February 1972, the branch library in December 2021 was moved to the first floor of the then-new Medford Town Hall on Union Street, according to the library system, which notes the branch serves the Pinelands area including Southampton, Tabernacle and Shamong.
"With the proposed redevelopment, the Township continues its efforts with respect to revitalizing the Main Street Historic Village Commercial corridor," according to the Township's request for proposals. The property is 17,097 square feet, or just under 0.4 acre and across from Tomlinson Park.
In the proposal request, the Township says a new development on the property should serve as a visitor magnet.
"The Township envisions receiving proposals that will advance the recent revitalization within the downtown to make the village an attractive destination for local residents and for visitors from the region," according to the request. "As the former Pinelands Library was a steady generator of patrons for merchants along Main Street and Tomlinson Mill Park, the Township desires a project that will restore the usefulness of the building or parcel, provide goods or services to the public, and will benefit other businesses within the vicinity through attracting customers who will patronize the new business and existing businesses."
Any new project on the relatively small property likely will require zoning variances, according to a redevelopment report prepared for the Township by the Taylor Design Group Inc. last July.
The property is within the Park/Public/Education Zoning District, the report notes. "The PPE Zoning district permits a variety of civic and public uses, including educational and recreational activities, municipal buildings, churches, libraries, open space, and parks," it says.
However, the property sits at the southern edge of the Historic Village Commercial zoning district, which "permits a variety of commercial uses, such as offices, shops for retail sales, restaurants, limited breweries, and other related establishments," the report says.
"Lot width is approximately 60.6 feet and given the 50-foot setback requirement from all lot lines, any proposed new development or expansion would require significant bulk variance relief, as well as use variance relief for retail or other uses compatible with the downtown and the surrounding HVC Zone along the Main Street Corridor," the redevelopment report says.
