He didn't just show up to the meeting. He uh he listened and he was present and attentive and he took action when action was needed. His advocacy and dedication to student success was evident in the whole process of that 504 plan. Yet, despite his proven track record of eight years at Butterfield, his reputation and contributions are being unfairly overshadowed by a single individual's clouded opinion. an individual who has only been here for a matter of months and isn't even going to be here next year as she's already been dismissed. An individual who has done more to divide than unite the Butterfield family. And that division comes at a cost. Morale is a part of the foundation of success for any school. When faculty and staff feel valued, respected, and supported, they're better equipped to serve our students. Mr. Goffin has spent years fostering a positive and collaborative environment.
So, um we have a meeting coming up. I think it's April the 28th, 29th. Put on your calendar. Um Cara will send out information about that. Okay. Trying to schedule it ahead of time so you can look at your cabinet to make sure that we have a good uh board of tenders at that meeting. Okay. What day? April the 28th or the 29th. I'll give you two suggestions. Okay. So car should send out an in date tomorrow. Any other questions? I entertain a motion to adjourn. Moved by K. Second. Second by
It's walking distance to the park to the school. Um so as it relates to an inf and it's an infill type of development. So, it I I think seamlessly fit into the community very well, but also getting a really good number of uh credits for um a small piece of property without feeling like it's overburdened. And then finally, uh which which is um the Higgins Avenue redevelopment area. Uh you will see at the bottom right of the of the aerial, it says the High Tide BR site. That's the high tide builder remedy site. Um, you all know, I'm sure most of you know that uh the town's been sued by what's known as High Tide. And um, while we have not, we're we we're still in negotiations, we have not settled, uh, with this particular developer. One of the ways that we are pulling this property into the plan, but not at the necessarily the density or the number of units that was proposed at this point was to really look at, and this and this somewhat came from the planning board, like look at the entire corridor.
when we're students, teachers, and parents work together. Undermining that kind of leadership not only disrespects his contributions, but also weakens the foundation of what makes Butterfield so strong. A school cannot thrive in an atmosphere of distrust, distrust, and division. We must protect the integrity of our school community by standing with those who have proven their dedication time and time again. It's deeply troubling to see someone like Mr. offer who has consistently acted in the best interest of his students and staff be met with unpre unprofessional treatment in what seems like blatant sabotage of his work and career development. I urge this board to recognize Mr. Goffin for the leader, advocate, and professional that he is. His dedication to Butterfield should not only should not be dismissed or diminished by those who have not taken the time to comprehend his impact. His record speaks for itself and is a record of commitment, integrity, and excellence.
We want to redevelop this corridor, most likely for mixed use. Um, so let's look at a redevelopment area that encompasses the entire corridor and provide for zoning that would uh allow for mixed use. Uh, so think about retail bottom or commercial bottom and one or two stories of of apartments above along this area. This would be zoning. So these aren't necessar this is not a project. This is something that would give an opportunity for a developer to come in to to redevelop. The interesting part about this is that we are meeting our RDP with those other projects. The only thing that we really need to realize from this redevelopment zone to meet our affordable housing obligation is 10 total new units of which two have to be affordable. So the zoning here we haven't gone through. Redevelopment is a two-step process. we need to go through an area need study to determine whether these part these parcels meet the criteria per state law uh as to whether it's an area need of redevelopment uh which I I know the area I feel like a good number of them could meet that criteria and then f we would do a a redevelopment plan and it and it really dubtales off of what's your existing zoning is for this area.
Thank you. Next up, Kevin Kesler. And after Kevin, Charlie Smith. Good evening. My name is Kevin Kesler. I have previous previously been a spotlight community member recognized by this board and for the past two years been at Butterfield with my two children serving on their PTO. I identify these points in order to lend whatever additional weight those things give to my following words. I stand tonight to speak in support of Mr. Alan Goffin at Butterfield Elementary. Over the past eight years during his time at Butterfield, Mr. Goffin has become an administrator that the faculty and staff look to for sound guidance, encouragement, and leadership while also being a friendly face and positive influence for all of our kids who attend his school. He is well respected and has stood up for his faculty and staff now even to his own detriment. His record at Butterfield speaks for itself as he has built and maintained relationships with parents, teachers, and most importantly the students who have gone grown to trust him.
This is a gateway overlay zone or at least a portion of it. Um, and in that gateway overlay zone, your your master plan and your zoning already support this main street theme. So we're we're really just we're kind of just piggybacking off of that and and looking at this and really instead of looking at a specific site just looking at the high tide site and thinking about um what should happen there I think we're looking at it uh globally or comprehensively as to how do we look at this entire corridor but then fit that site into it as as and what makes sense uh for development in that area. I will say to you that Hig the M andD site which which has been approved that was a redevelopment area that was 15 units an acre. I would imagine that we're probably in and around that density somewhere between 10 to 12 to 15 units an acre.
As a member of our PTO board and parent with children attending Butterfield, I have had nothing but positive interactions with Mr. Goffin. He has been helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to event scheduling and coordination. And during events, he has always made himself available to assist with whatever the PTO or individual students might need. He knows what works and doesn't work and is always willing to offer his constructive opinions and thoughts when sought out. This school year at Butterfield has proven to be exceedingly challenging. We started the year having had our respected previous principal moving up into the district, leaving the principal's vacant position to be filled. Many of us parents and teachers fully expected Mr. Gooffin to be offered the promotion to become the next principal at Butterfield, but due to reasons outside of my knowledge, that didn't occur. I bring this up not to harp on staffing decisions made by the district, but to again highlight the amount of respect and trust that we have in this individual.
Excuse me depending upon the use of of that particular prop of the properties within this area. You'll see that it in encompasses about 30 parcels which is about 14 acres. So in summary, this this gives you a good sense of the number of credits each of the projects is providing. So six credits from Hig from the M &D site. Um eight to nine credits from the me the Mumford site. Um eight credits for for this the Borie Avenue site and potentially two credits uh for and this goes to RDP for the Higgins redevelopment area. as it relates to unmet need. Uh these are the mechanisms that have been adopted and allowed for in the past. A mandatory set aside ordinance is basically a blanketwide ordinance across the entire municipality that says if anybody develops five or more units, they are to provide affordable housing set aside.
We thought he was going to be our next principal and wanted that to be the case. With all this being said, we have now learned that for some reason that escapes logic, Mr. Goffin is to be reassigned not only away from his current duties, but away entirely from the community that he has had a significant part in building and maintaining over the past eight years. This quite simply does not make sense. I implore this board to recognize the negative impact that removing Mr. Goffin will have on Butterfield Elementary and further ask that the actions and reviews given by a failed firsttime administrator who has already driven out multiple career educators from the field not be given the weight and impact that they seem to have been. Butterfield Elementary will be less without Mr. Gooffin. Please don't take away from our school. Thank you. [Applause] Charlie Smith and then after Charlie, Polly, Kyla, and Laneany, sorry.
That's that's basically it. So um if somebody gets a use variance to provide more than five units, they have to provide a set aside. capturing affordable housing as new development potentially occurs. Um, a development fee ordinance allows the bureau to collect development fees on residential uh improvements, typically new homes, as well as non-residential improvements. Um, the residential improvements can go up to 1.5% of the assessed value of that new home. Uh, and the non-residential improvements could go up to 2.5% of the assessed value of that that new improvement. the um the residential development fee is is is regulated by the municipality. The 2.5 non-residential fee is regulated by the state. We can't change that. But that development fee ordinance, as the municipality collects fees, they can then use it for affordable housing purposes. They can use it to pay administrative fees like my my my um cost as well as Jeff's cost.
My name is Charlie Smith. I went to Butterfield Elementary from 2019 to 2024. And this is why I think Mr. Goffin should stay at Butterfield, but even better, become the principal. Mr. Goffin is the nicest guy ever. He has helped me with so many things. Like when I had been bullied, I went to him and asked him to help me and he did. He talked to those people and they stopped bullying me and they even started becoming nice to me. That's how good Mr. Goffin is. He always gives me fist bumps. He's so nice to all the teachers, all of the staff, and all of the students. And he will he will make the school a better place. I would love for him to be principal. I'm a former student and I won't even go there, but I want him to be principal because of the person he is.
It can provide for uh helping a nonprofit build affordable housing. So, there's lots of ways that that as you build up that that development fee ordinance, it takes the burden off the municipality or the general fund and allows for a funding source for new affordable housing. And then finally, uh one of the things that we're contemplating is um the overlay zone that we would do for Higgins Avenue. If we get above and beyond, let's say two units of affordable housing, it would go it would go then to what's known as this unmet need, that that larger number. Uh we are also contemplating and like to hear certainly your feedback about maybe doing an overlay zone on Union Avenue as well as as to you know maybe that makes some sense to capture any new future redevelopment that would occur in that location. Um, so hopefully it wasn't too long and long- winded.
He is he is a kind and sweet guy. He is helpful and loving and just an amazing person. overall. That's why I want Mr. Goffin to be the principal or at the very least stay in his current position. Thank you. All right, Polly, Kyla, and Laneany. And then after them, Marissa Lopez. Hi, I'm Polly. I'm Kyla. And I'm Laney. We're in the third grade at Butterfield Elementary School and we're here to talk about Mr. Goffin. First, he's very nice and he and he's been there for longer. I've been there and I've been there for 4 years. Second, he's really supportive and he does what's best for the school and the people in it. Third, he's really awesome and you can really tell he cares about the students. Please let us keep Mr. Goffin. We love God. Thank you, girls. Marissa Lopez and next up will be Samantha Harris.
Um, but the next steps and this before we get to questions and and um feedback is we will finalize the housing element fair share plan which which I've been calling the affordable housing plan. Um, that will most likely occur in May where there will be a public hearing in front of the planning board. The planning board is the entity that adopts the housing element and fair share plan. part of your master plan and they will have a public hearing where they where they would listen to public uh comments. There will be a a plan that's on file 10 days before that hearing so everybody has a chance to review it. Um and and so that's required by uh municipal land use law. Um after that sometime in June the bureau uh the governing body will have to endorse that plan and then we would submit it to the court or to the program uh for approval which I could take to it could take several months for that to occur.
Sorry. Coming from a parent and actually getting emotional over a teacher principal that's not going to be here anymore because of the decisions of a certain individual at the school. I have two children that have been there since kindergarten. And every interaction that I've had with Mr. Goffin has been nothing but positive. One of my children does have some behavioral issues, but he has always been there to support my daughter, speak with my daughter, and come to me with anything that I could help her at school. We worked as a team. This year, I have not had that communication with him. That has been taken away. Every single parent that I have spoken to has nothing but great things to say about Mr. Goffin. He is an amazing individual. He is a role model to these kids. These kids look up to him. They see dedication in him.
Um and so that's really the next steps. There will be opportunities beyond that. So, as for instance, their settlement agreements, let's say with the Mumford site, the the governing body would have to go through that settlement agreement in in public and and sign it and and pass it by resolution. That's an opportunity for uh continually to understand uh what that particular development may look like. Uh and so, and then with the redevelopment plan, there will be several opportunities both at the planning board and the governing body to review the redevelopment plan. So conceptually that's that's the overall plan the details.
I spoke with my youngest daughter today and actually told her because we made signs saying students for Mr. Gooffin and she didn't know what was going on and I finally told her today. My daughter was in tears which brought tears to me. She wants Mr. Goffin to be the principal. She wants him to stay. She wants to know that there's not more changes than would have already happened this year. There's been so many things at this school that has changed just in this school year and he has fought for these students to try to make things stay the same and that has not happened and it's very disappointing and coming from a parent you just want your kids to go to school every day and be happy and feel safe. My kids unfortunately don't feel that way this year. I think the board really needs to take a look at all of these individuals that are here that are standing for him, the students that are here because they are who matters, not the personal feelings of a certain individual.
Um I can go through some things I can't go through other things but certainly uh happy planning board and governing body to answer any questions that you all may have and then I guess we'll open it up. Uh, can I sorry uh Elliot Cologne uh Briel uh council person uh just two questions. Um, you if we if this plan is approved by the planning board and the mayor and council and it goes to the state and if the department of community affairs gives its blessing, in other words, approves it, will we have obtained obtained compliance? So, the plan will go to the program which is a panel of judges first. DCA has nothing to do with it. Um, the panel of judges will make there's an opportunity for mediate for objections to occur. So, a developer could object to the plan. Fair Share Housing Center, which is a a nonforprofit uh organization that represents low and moderate income household interests throughout state New Jersey, could object to the plan.
It is these kids because they're our future. They're who we need to live for and make sure that the education system is the right way for them. Thank you. [Applause] Samantha Harris and then after Samantha Marine Patre. Hello. Uh my name is Samantha Harris and I am a second grade teacher at Butterfield Elementary School. I've had the privilege of working with Mr. Gooffin uh for the past two years and I feel compelled to speak on his behalf today. I began my journey at Butterfield Elementary as a teacher two years ago and from that from the very start Mr. Goffron has been incredible has been an incredible support and supervisor. His leadership has been nothing short of exceptional. He approaches every situation with professionalism, fairness, sorry, and integrity. Although following the rules and making sure that both students and staff are treated with respect, his ethical approach has created a safe and thriving environment for everyone at the school.