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Choose a subject from the top menu, then an article from the menu below.	Burlington City plans to revitalize target area
*Burlington City plans to revitalize target area $22M plan sets Mullica Hill bypass, widening for Route 322 Poll: Eminent domain top issue in N.J.
	The New Yorkshire Neighborhood Subcommittee said the new plan, which will cost $10 million, should aim to eliminate vacant homes, increase homeownership through new construction and beautify the area with more landscaping.
	By LEO STRUPCZEWSKI Courier-Post Staff BURLINGTON CITY City council has unveiled a more detailed plan for revitalizing the New Yorkshire neighborhood and agreed to begin the search for developers. The process won't begin until the council passes a resolution to allow an update of the current redevelopment plan for the New Yorkshire neighborhood. The New Yorkshire Neighborhood Subcommittee said the new plan, which will cost $10 million, should aim to eliminate vacant homes, increase homeownership through new construction and beautify the area with more landscaping. To achieve that goal, rental properties will be purchased from landlords and the city will relocate tenants or offer them a chance to buy a new home. Mayor Darlene Scocca said eminent domain would be a "last resort" and the city hopes to complete the plan by using people who voluntarily sell their homes. In a 10-page document, the committee laid out its recommendations. It's the first step to achieving the goal, said Councilman Ed Canivan, a committee member. A plan to redevelop the neighborhood was previously published in 1998, but members of the council committee said that plan is out of date. "When we get through this process, we want to have something that's going to work," said the city's engineer, Jeffrey Taylor, a committee member. Though the resolution was not passed Tuesday night, members of council agreed it should be done. Scocca, a committee member, said it would likely happen at the next city council meeting later this month. In June, the council approved a down payment for a $10 million bond, Scocca said. Scocca has previously said the plan aims to create a "tipping point," where new homeowners and fewer renters will drive down crime. About 75 percent of the homes in New Yorkshire are rentals. The neighborhood, an eight-square-block area which reaches from Route 130 to East Broad Street and High Street to the Assiscunk Creek, has seen a significant increase in crime since 2004, Lazzarotti said. In 2004, 416 people were arrested in the neighborhood. That number grew to 520 in 2005 and 620 in 2006. The neighborhood accounted for 70 percent of the city's major crimes last year, Lazzarotti said. Reach Leo Strupczewski at (856) 317-7828 or lstrupczewski@courierpostonline.com Date Created: 7/4/2007