NJBIZ: What companies do business at the port?
Bantivoglio: Basically most people don't appreciate of that there are dozens and dozens of businesses that exist in Camden and South Camden, in particular, lots of manufacturing business. It's not as much of a dead zone as people might think. as far as residential-wise, it's challenged, but there's really a lot of businesses there. There's a metal fabricator, a Georgia-Pacific factory, a food processing company for chickens, a licorice-processing company, a nuts company. [Recent studies show that 168 businesses at the port employ 2.400 people.]

NJBIZ: Why did you form the Waterfront Alliance to Sade the Port District?
Bantivoglio: There's always been a lot of government activity [in Camden]. The state took over and then the city council was there and they're always putting forth these different plans or different thoughts on what they want to do with the city and the region. This plan came out, which was essentially to take a large portion of the properties by the port and really choke off the port. It was time for us to...be fighting for the existing businesses of Camden and really giving a voice to our interests and needs. We represent practically all of the businesses in Camden, the vast majority of the tax revenue for the city and significant amount of employment in the city.

NJBIZ: What are the Alliance's objectives?
Bantivoglio: We're not against residential [development] down there. But we believe the area near the port really needs to be left for industrial development and for port uses. There are plenty of [other] places in the city, specifically North Camden, which is where they're developing Cramer Hill and all these other big [residential] projects. That's the area that they really should be concentrating on developing for residences.
     The port, even though it's overtaxed right now, is extremely busy, as are many ports in the country. To replace the port, including the Beckett Street Terminal, would take hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars or even more than that.
    It is one of the main economic backbones of the region. We support hundreds and hundreds of high-paying port jobs; they need to be respected. From our perspective, they are going to move in houses and all of them will have tax abatements—they aren't going to be paying taxes for many years—and all they're really doing is pushing the tax burden for that city off to the suburbs and surrounding region. They should really be keeping the businesses there that are employing people.

NJBIZ: What specific areas are up for development?
Bantivoglio: There's been constant pressure to take over the port or areas near the port for further waterfront development like expanding the aquarium or for parking decks for the Tweeter Center. They're planning on taking

undeveloped land around the port that we use and zoning it for residential development. By having these zoning laws and zoning changes, they are scaring business out of the area and scaring businesses from locating here.
    There's an enormous amount of confusion among the business community in Camden as to the zoning that exists in Camden and the plans for that area. When the state took over the city of Camden, they has a master plan for the port and the entire city. That master plan included leaving the port and the area south of the city industrial and putting residential up north. That plan is the correct plan and the plan that businesses have worked off of. Now...they've been trying to change the plan with these micro plans for different neighborhoods in Camden.
    You're now in an explosive situation where some of your businesses could be fleeing the city because they're unable to make investments in the city because they don't know where they stand. They're so confused by what the state is doing versus what the city is doing.

NJBIZ: Why the interest in development near the port?
Bantivoglio: That are where we are has the best view of Philadelphia, for the skyline; that's why they think it could be a good place for development, for housing. It has been for 100 years or more the industrial heart of south Jersey. People from all over the area, not just from Camden, work there. It has the infrastructure for businesses—the electrical, the gas lines, the sewage equipment—and these businesses have been there.
    The plans they have been writing are calling for close to $1 billion to move existing businesses elsewhere. They're saying we'll just relocate all these businesses elsewhere. Well, where are they getting the $1 billion from? I believe if they move a lot of the businesses that exist in South Camden and kick them out, those people aren't even going to relocate in New jersey. They will just leave the state.

NJBIZ: How can a residential development co-exist with the port?
Bantivoglio: It's really making the border where residential should be to 3rd Street, leaving two blocks there on the river for business development. There should be a barrier between the two that could include trees or parking. For hundreds of years that neighborhood grew up around the businesses that were there. We should be able to co-exist together in the waterfront area with proper planning. But you can't live with the confusion we're having now.
    What happens to the city of Camden is very important for taxpayers. So much money from the rest of the state is going into Camden to support what they're doing. Camden can't support itself financially; it's a huge economic drain for the rest of the state. Therefore, it's important for the state that there be a strong business community that pays the taxes and exists in that city. For the sake of the city, these issues have to be addressed and cleared up.