Vineland’s sports complex push: $1.8M for land the Vineland Development Corp. already owns, $240K for an unnamed consultant

On the agenda: nothing in this report has been voted on. Jersey Intel will report the outcome from the city’s official record.

Vineland, N.J.’s City Council is scheduled on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to take two more steps toward a proposed regional sports complex off College Drive and South Delsea Drive. One ordinance would have the city pay $1,797,176 for a half interest in about 65 acres that the Vineland Development Corporation already owns. A separate resolution would approve up to $240,000 to hire a sports consultant that the city’s records do not name. The money for both comes from the Vineland Revolving Loan Fund.

The land deal

According to the draft ordinance in the council’s Oct. 27 meeting packet, the city and the VDC already jointly own 1100 College Drive, about 108.3 acres of vacant land in Vineland (Block 7001, Lot 1) and Millville, N.J. (Block 20, Lot 1). They paid $55,400 an acre for it and split the price 50-50. That is the roughly $6 million purchase from Inspira that the council approved in February, as the Courier-Post and NJ.com reported at the time. In June, the council swapped the Cumberland County Improvement Authority’s half of that deal for a 50% contribution from the VDC (Ordinance 2026-39).

The new ordinance covers the VDC’s own land next door: Block 7001, Lots 23, 24 and 25, about 64.88 acres with frontage on South Delsea Drive. The VDC approved selling the city a joint interest on Oct. 15, the ordinance says. The price, $55,400 an acre, works out to $3,594,352 for the full 64.88 acres. Half of that is the $1,797,176 the city would pay. The ordinance says putting all 173.18 acres “under common ownership” would “promote the efficient marketing/development of the entire tract” and economic growth in the city.

The ordinance says the council already approved a $1,797,176 recoverable grant for the purchase on Sept. 22 (Resolution 2026-472). A separate resolution on the Oct. 27 agenda (2026-530) would add $1,797,176 from the revolving loan fund to the city’s 2026 budget.

The same lots, five years ago

Records from 2021 show a link that the Oct. 27 ordinance doesn’t mention. A resolution posted with the council’s May 11, 2021 agenda (numbered 2021-211) would approve a $1,715,975 recoverable grant from the Vineland Revolving Loan Fund to the VDC “for the acquisition of property, to complete the required demolition, and the required professional services” at 2996, 3070 and 3120 S. Delsea Drive. Those are Block 7001, Lots 23, 24 and 25, the same three lots in the new ordinance.

So, as the records read, revolving loan fund money helped the VDC buy the land in 2021, and revolving loan fund money would now pay the VDC for a half interest in it. The posted records don’t say whether the 2021 grant was ever repaid, or how the $55,400-an-acre price was set for this parcel.

The $240,000 consultant

Resolution 2026-518 says the city “has previously received a quote in the amount of $240,000.00 from a sports consultant” for “Capital Procurement, Vendor Procurement, Regulatory and Engineering Procurement, Management and Operating Vetting, Master Land Lease, and Revenue Share Advice.” It doesn’t name the consultant. The city and the VDC would each repay half of the grant “from the sale or income derived from the property.”

The resolution also says the revolving loan fund “passed a Resolution” approving the grant “at its meeting on October 22, 2026.” Oct. 22 is Thursday, the day after this report. The packet with that wording was already online Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Meanwhile, the city’s purchasing website lists RFP 2026-48, “City Sports Complex Master Development,” as an open solicitation. Questions are due Oct. 23 and proposals are due Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. The resolution doesn’t say whether the $240,000 quote is tied to that request for proposals. The resolution’s title also lists Lots 1, 24, 25 and 26, while the land ordinance lists Lots 23, 24 and 25.

The city already hired The Sports Facilities Advisory LLC for a feasibility study. That firm was awarded $71,225 on Jan. 13, 2026, under RFP 2025-37, according to the city’s purchasing site. Jersey Intel didn’t find the study’s findings in the Oct. 27 packet or in news coverage.

Questions before the vote

• Who gave the $240,000 quote, and how was that consultant picked while RFP 2026-48 is still open?
• Was the 2021 revolving loan fund grant to the VDC for these lots repaid? If not, why would the fund now pay the VDC for a half interest in the same land?
• Who set the $55,400-an-acre price for the Delsea Drive lots, and was there an appraisal?
• What did the $71,225 feasibility study find, and when will residents see it?
• Which lots does the consultant resolution actually cover: 23, 24 and 25, or 1, 24, 25 and 26?

The records posted for the meeting don’t answer these questions. Jersey Intel will add any response from the city or the VDC to this report.

Other items on the Oct. 27 agenda

The council is also scheduled to hold hearings on a $1,180,000 bond ordinance for Howard Pagliughi Park and a $716,000 supplemental bond for the Joseph E. Romano Sports Complex. It’s also set to hear an ordinance providing legal defense for the city’s armed security officers if they face criminal charges over actions taken on duty.

Be there, or send us what you have

The meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Vineland City Hall, Seventh and Wood streets. The agenda includes general public comment. If you attend, record the discussion and send it to us. If you have the 2021 grant agreement, an appraisal, the consultant’s quote or the feasibility study, email jerseyintel@gmail.com.