Residents in a historic community in Gloucester County are pushing back against a housing developer’s plans to build homes on what activists describe as an environmentally sensitive forest.
The area developers are eyeing is more than 7 acres of old-growth forest between the Mantua Heights and Cold Springs Forest neighborhoods of Mantua Township.
A petition, which has garnered nearly 300 signatures as of Wednesday, was started last month by Ashley Levinson, a 45-year resident of the township, to try to stop the development.
“We started this movement to protect our communities and conserve natural resources within Mantua, and we want to make sure that our township is doing the right thing for its people,” Levinson said.
In an application filed with the township’s land use board in April, contractors are requesting approval to build 13 single-family homes at 120 Woodlawn Lane, according to town documents.
A hearing on the proposed new housing project will take place July 16 at Mantua’s Township’s Land Use Board meeting.
Community organizers argue that the application has failed to address important considerations for the area, such as potential impacts the construction could have on local citizens and wildlife.
The land developers want to build on is like a “pocket of habitat” between two communities, according to Francesca Mundrick, an environmentalist from Pitman and professor at Rowan University.
“What we have here is... an island of life that is thriving amongst development and if you keep developing those hubs of biodiversity, there won’t be biodiversity anymore,” Mundrick said.
The area is home to a forest with landmark trees — trees with a diameter over 31 inches that are not allowed to be cut down, according to the township’s tree protection ordinance.
It also contains threatened species such as bog turtles, red-bellied cooters, brown bats and a growing population of barred owls, according to activists.
Residents are cornered because Mantua Township currently doesn’t have an environmental commission to enforce local preservation laws.
When asked who would decide on environmental impacts without this commission, residents were told it would be up to the land use board, Levinson said.
The Mantua Township Land Use Board and mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before the housing application moves forward, local residents are requesting studies on environmental impact and water quality to assess the subdivision’s effects on stormwater management and the town’s environment, Levinson said.
The developers of the proposed project did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other efforts to preserve the rural character of South Jersey towns have occurred this year. In April, after a two-year legal battle, a court ruled that a housing developer could not build on 286 acres of farmland in Springfield in Burlington County.
In Mantua, residents said they are worried the new housing development could harm the historical significance and natural resources of the township.
The township, covering about 15 square miles in the middle of Gloucester County, is positioned on a bluff overlooking Mantua Creek. It is historically significant, having been founded in 1853 and was once home to Lenni Lenape Indians.
“Preserving these natural areas is not just about protecting animals and plants,” said resident Terie Cornelio Wanger. “Losing them weakens the very foundation of our community’s well-being.”
Stories by Nyah Marshall
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Nyah Marshall may be reached at Nmarshall@njadvancemedia.com.