Mount Holly's Mayor Looks To Revitalize Downtown Business District
By David Madden
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (CBS) - Officials in the Burlington County seat of Mount Holly are working to revitalize their downtown business district. The first step, a change in zoning to attract more retail and restaurant fare.
While some new businesses are in coming into town, many of the storefronts are taken up with offices and bail bond shops. And with a lot of growth around Mount Holly, Mayor Rich DiFolco wants to tap into that a bit.
"Now is the time to really be able to tailor to possibly some developers, some retail outlets that may be looking in the area to open up shop," he said.
The zoning change now adds bail bond offices and such to a list of prohibited businesses that includes laundromats and dance studios. Those now in place, though, are grandfathered.
"We've got new pizza shops opening up. We've got new downtown breweries opening up," he said. "That type of business is really what we're looking to hopefully promote, to enhance more people walking downtown and shopping."
Town council is also considering a move to relax some restrictions on homeowners who want to fix up their residences, only to face strict historic preservation standards.