New homes keep people in Camden

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, July, 2007 | by Dwight Ott Inquirer Staff Writer

Ralph Roberts, Camden's chief fire marshal, has rapidly moved up the city's income ladder. Like so many others, he and his wife seemed headed for the suburbs.

But yesterday, there was a groundbreaking for a project that will keep them in Camden: 28 homes priced from $189,000 to $240,000.

"We want to stay to be part of the renaissance. We were trying to avoid moving out to Cherry Hill," said Juanita Lyles, 58, Roberts' wife. She and her husband said they had bought one of the houses.

The two- and three-story rowhouses and twins are in the most revitalized neighborhood in Camden, Cooper Grant, a tiny downtown community near the waterfront, Campbell's Field and Rutgers-Camden.

The $10.2 million...