Our Industrial Legacy
Florence Township absorbed a century of foundry pollution. Now state law gives us leverage.
Florence Township didn't choose to be an industrial site. For over a century, the Griffin Pipe foundry at 1100 West Front Street made ductile iron pipe and disposed of lead and cadmium sludge in an unlined landfill. Down the road on Cedar Lane, a separate landfill accepted industrial waste for years. And along the Delaware River, the Roebling Steel mill (makers of the Brooklyn Bridge cables) operated from 1906 to 1982 before becoming a federal Superfund site.
The Griffin Pipe site still has ongoing groundwater monitoring. The Florence Land Recontouring landfill on Cedar Lane, once a federal Superfund site, is now a solar farm sitting on top of a capped landfill. The Roebling site has been remediated and transformed into a success story: a River LINE station, the Roebling Museum, and 34 acres of riverfront parkland. This is the reality Florence families have lived with for decades.
We absorbed the pollution. We deserve a say in what comes next.
100+
Years
of foundry operations
293
Acres
former industrial site
Ongoing
Monitoring
groundwater oversight continues
1.2M
Sq Ft
new warehouse development
Florence Township's Industrial Footprint
This map shows the two major environmental sites in Florence Township and their relationship to Ward 3, District 2. Use the layer controls to explore different features.
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A Century of Industrial History
What the Law Says
In 2020, New Jersey became the first state to pass an environmental justice law with real teeth. Under that law, parts of Ward 3, District 2 qualify as an “overburdened community”: a legal designation based on Census data about income and demographics.
That designation isn't just a label. It means the state must consider cumulative environmental and public health impacts before approving new industrial permits here. For certain types of facilities (major pollution sources, recycling operations, scrap metal facilities, landfills) the state can deny permits entirely if the cumulative burden on the community is too high.
That's not just policy. That's leverage.
We've Already Seen What Happens When Florence Demands Accountability
The 5th Street Rail Trail didn't happen because developers felt generous. It happened because the community pushed back. When the Griffin Pipe site was redeveloped, Florence negotiated: $375,000 from the developer, matched with a $562,000 federal grant. Nearly a million dollars invested in our neighborhood because we had a seat at the table.
The same 293 acres that gave us contaminated groundwater is now becoming 1.2 million square feet of warehouses. The landfill on Cedar Lane is now generating solar power. Florence has spent decades managing industrial cleanup. Now we have new tools to ensure that future development actually benefits the families who live here, not just the companies that build here.
What Your County Committee Member Can Do
Here's the thing about local politics: the party platform, the candidate endorsements, the resolutions that pressure elected officials, they all flow through the County Committee. County Commissioners and State Legislators attend these meetings. When a committee member speaks up, they have to listen.
For years, Ward 3, District 2's seat on the Democratic Committee has been empty. That means no one from our neighborhood advocating for environmental accountability. No one asking candidates where they stand on industrial impacts. No one connecting our community to the resources available for overburdened districts.
Push for party platform language on community benefits
I'll advocate for the Burlington County Democratic Party platform to include requirements that new industrial development in overburdened communities must include community benefit agreements, like the rail trail we negotiated from the Griffin Pipe redevelopment.
Hold candidates accountable during endorsements
When candidates come to the County Committee seeking endorsement, I'll ask where they stand on protecting neighborhoods like ours from industrial impacts. Their answers matter, and their votes should too.
Direct access to County Commissioners and State Legislators
County Commissioners and State Legislators attend Democratic Committee meetings. That's a seat at the table where I can advocate directly for the resources Florence needs: grant funding, infrastructure investment, and continued environmental monitoring.
Connect neighbors to existing resources
New Jersey has grants and programs specifically for overburdened communities. Too often, that information doesn't reach the families who could benefit. I'll make sure Ward 3, District 2 knows what's available and how to access it.
Build coalitions with other affected districts
Florence isn't the only community dealing with industrial legacy. I'll work with committee members from other overburdened areas to build a coalition within the party, because we're stronger together.
Florence Has Done the Heavy Lifting Long Enough
State law now says we get a seat at the table. On June 2, you can put someone in that seat who will use it.