On Tuesday, August 25th, I attended the Camden Planning Board Meeting. There, despite unanimous opposition by public commenters, the Subaru Headquarters site was approved. Architectural critic Inga Saffron said this about the plan:
When suburban companies make the move into cities, they typically bulk up in height to fit in with their urban compatriots. Not so here. Subaru will leave a relatively tall building (seven stories) in the suburbs for a shorter one (four stories) in the city. Subaru’s new home, sized for 600 employees, will be a lonely island in an asphalt sea containing 1,031 parking spaces.
This upcoming Sunday, Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) will have it’s second major “Economy of Inclusion” event, continuing the drumbeat for Community Benefit Agreements — a potential legal remedy to address how little Camden City is getting out of these tax deals. In today’s article by Allison Steele quoted Latin American Economic Development Association’s Ray Lamboy:
“We’re looking at how to leverage these agreements so that we can bring some resources in,” said Ray Lamboy, the church group’s vice chairman. “These companies are coming, but it doesn’t appear that the city is truly benefiting from their arrival.”
The two quotes, and two events, get at the heart of a coalition that opposes these tax credits for a variety of reasons. Within Camden, residents are aware of broken promises. Jobs are “saved” not new. There are no local hiring stipulations, so the occasional new job (Subaru is only moving a few miles — they’re not even looking to hire Camden residents) goes to a suburban family, not an urban one. These tax credits are being sold on the back of Camden resident’s poverty, but have little to do with them. Even the promise of “trickle-down” benefits, of spending by employees who drive into Camden, ring hollow. These sites have their own cafeterias and are offset from the downtown.
This disconnect from the urban fabric of Camden is what has city lovers in a tizzy. Over and over at the planning board meeting, members of the South Jersey Bike Coalition mentioned in horror that the site has over 1,000 parking spots. In the new urbanist community, which wants walkable, bikable, urban environments with boutique stores and craft breweries, parking spots are signs of the apocalypse.
And finally, the New Jersey Policy Perspective has been addressing these incentives from a financial angle.
This weekend, CCOP is trying to bring this diverse coalition together under one banner. After months of researching how best to address the issue, CCOP has focused on “Community Benefit Agreements” (CBAs). The agreements are typically made between a government and an incoming business, though they can also be made with third parties. They are a contractual agreement — typically, the business receives support for zoning changes and in return provide local benefits (hiring, or purchasing services from local businesses), design benefits (community friendly spaces, urban designs), environmental benefits (green building) and even neighborly support (funding of local youth programs). It’s a versatile tool with the potential to bring the coalition opposing these tax credits together.
It’s a strategy that doesn’t oppose the tax credits outright, but attempts to address the potential reasons for opposition (particularly, the lack of jobs for Camden residents). It’s also an uphill climb, as most agreements have government support, which has not been forthcoming in Camden. With little support from elected officials, corporations haven’t even entered into discussions about CBAs.
The Economy of Inclusion Rally is this Sunday:
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