LOCAL

Transport facility taking over Vineland property, replacing small church and parsonage

Joseph P. Smith
Cherry Hill Courier-Post

VINELAND — A former church and parsonage at 202 West Park Avenue will be converted into a transportation facility for a small company that carries students from local public schools.

JAZ Transportation recently completed a two-step hearing process before the Zoning Board.

JAZ Transportation is owned by Millville couple Willie C. Chaney Jr. and Susan Chaney. It operates a fleet of eight minivans and two small buses, according to its applications.

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Board members five months ago approved a use variance for the project, necessary because the property is in a residential area where transportation facilities are not permitted. The connection the company has with a school system was one reason the variance was approved, according to testimony.

At the board meeting March 15, members unanimously approved the actual site plan. Construction of a 3,000-square-foot building for maintenance and office use is proposed, with two apartments on a second floor.

The Vineland Zoning Board on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 approved a site plan to tear down this former church and parsonage at 202 West Park Avenue. The property belongs to Triumph The Church and Kingdom of God in Christ. JAZ Transportation of Millville will construct a 3,000-square-foot building as a transportation and maintenance facility for a fleet of mini-vans and small buses used to transport area students. The upper floor will have two apartments. PHOTO: March 16, 2023.

One concern for the board was stormwater control, since the city says West Park Avenue has flooding issues at that point. A city engineering look at the proposed storm control system concluded it should not add to the problem.

The existing structures, dating at least to 1948, has been owned for many years by Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ.

Voting for the proposal were Chairman George LoBiondo, Vice Chairman Joseph Stefano and members Ryan Flaim, Mark Grussenmeyer, Eric Hernandez, and Victoria Lods.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

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