There are some worthwhile critiques in this Jim Walsh article at the Courier-Post that address critiques of the current development paradigm in Camden.

Here’s my colleague Dr. Julia Sass Rubin: 

Some critics question the value of corporate tax breaks, calling them a costly and ineffective way to attract or keep a business.

Executives are more likely to choose locations based on factors like transportation costs, access to supplies and customers, and quality of life concerns, said Julia Sass Rubin, an associate professor at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

“Ironically, the good infrastructure and high quality public schools that attract companies to a location draw on the same tax dollars that the tax abatements divert to corporate profits,” she said in a recent online statement.

She called tax breaks “a race to the bottom for municipalities and states, with corporations playing them off against each other to get the largest gift they can from the taxpayers.”

And Alex Law: 

Alex Law, an activist from Haddon Township, complained that the deals announced so far appear to help political insiders. He noted George Norcross III, an insurance executive and prominent South Jersey Democrat, serves on Holtec’s board, while his brother, attorney Philip Norcross, represented the 76ers in their move.

The Economic Opportunity Act was sponsored by a third brother, state Sen. Donald Norcross, D-Camden. The legislator, who’s running for Congress, in May received more than $10,000 in campaign contributions from Holtec’s president.

“It makes me uncomfortable that the people driving these deals have a financial stake in them,” said Law, a 23-year-old consultant and community organizer.

Please, read the whole thing.