Elaine Straughn

Guest Column

Residents must speak up

about looming development

I urge all residents to look on the Jackson Township municipal Web site at www.jacksontwpnj.net and check out the Planning Board agenda. Once you see what is on tap for our town, I hope you will join in the fight against the coming insanity which will involve diminished quality of life, and I am sure a whopping increase in taxes.

First and foremost, look at the agenda for April 16, when they hear initial testimony for Jackson Mews, which consists of 2,506 multi-family units, and a subdivision of 25 lots. How many is multi? Will there be two families per unit? That's 5,000 families. At four people per family, that's 20,000 people. If it means four families per unit, that would be an astounding 40,000 people added to our population of over 50,000.

That is the largest of the proposed developments, with Mitch Leigh and his "impossible dream" of trying to create a city in our rural area as a legacy. At the April 2 board meeting, they were discussing the first 130 of 1,614 units for the Leigh at Jackson property.

There is also the Grawtown Estates hearing for 493 houses packed on 160 acres on May 21. They will tell you it is being built on 320 some-odd acres, but 144 of it is being left as open space, recreational areas and ponds. This sounds a lot like the high-density zoning in Lakewood or Brick (no offense to either place - just the zoning). Wasn't 3-acre zoning approved? Yes, but the Pinelands Commission seems to think that high-density housing is appropriate near the Toms River.

Let's not forget they already approved the 900-plus units for senior citizen housing out in the Cassville section. On the agenda on April 2, they were to discuss 322 more age-restricted units off South Hope Chapel Road. Also along that road is a 70-lot subdivision. Somewhere else along Whitesville Road there are 37 houses in the plans and 130 units proposed on West Commodore Boulevard. You won't be able to see the forest for the trees anymore because they will all be gone.

When the Hovbilt proposal in Cassville was approved, the Planning Board said, "Our hands are tied." This is not an acceptable answer to new development. They need to think outside the legal system and outside our town. Thousands of new homes are a recipe for disaster for this town.

When evaluating decisions, you weigh the pros and cons. Here is my list of cons:

+ Quality of life for residents already here. I moved here 24 years ago because of the open space and trees, away from the hectic life in cities, along with the problems they have. Now the developers think they can come in and tear down what's left of the trees and burden us with additional residents, students, cars and taxes to support them all. They will take the money and run as we sit in traffic or wait in long lines, or worse yet have to stay home because you can't get anywhere.

+ Traffic. Right now you can't turn left out of streets or store exits; you sit sometimes two or three times for a light; there are insufficient roads to handle all of the new cars, not that we want superhighways going through town. At some point roads will need to be widened, which of course means properties need to be shortened. Personally, I'm tired of sitting at lights and adding so much travel time.

For every house built there are at least two more cars on the road, which would be at least 10,000 for proposed projects, sitting in traffic and polluting the air. Gridlock is liable to become an everyday occurrence. We will not be able to go where we want, when we want.

+ Natural resources: Water usage is increased, both with human need and lawn sprinklers. I'm sure all of the trees will be cut down (they've just about verified that will happen on Graw-town Road), which help cleanse the air, leaving the new grass to be baked in the sun, and the sprinklers will be on twice a day. With all of the paved streets and runoff from the parched lawns running into sewer pipes, the aquifers will not be adequately recharged. Droughts have been coming more often, and water conservation edicts will be more frequent; and unfortunately ignored. I, for one, would not like my well to go dry. There was an article in the press recently about the failing health of Barnegat Bay due to upstream pollution. A lot of these houses are going along the Toms River, which feeds directly into that.

What about the wildlife? Where are the animals supposed to go? There is not much open space left for them. Can a herd of deer hide in the 50-foot-wide buffer areas? They have as much right as we do to have space to live.

+ School impact: 5,500 homes is the potential for 11,000 school students. That is more than are currently enrolled in the entire district. How many buildings could we possibly afford? Is the builder going to pay for that? Are our property taxes going to go up to cover the cost of that? Per-pupil costs are now almost $9,000; care to do the math on that one? We aren't an Abbott district, so you know we have to come up with the cash. Are you ready to pack your bags yet or shall you join the battle?

+ Cost of government: There will be an increase in cost of services for roads, police, etc. Taxes have never gone down because of increased ratables. There are too many residences as it is, and not enough business to help pay taxes.

My reasons have no "legality" to them, they have no monetary value, but the quality of my life and impact on the environment are priceless. I couldn't think of any pros - anyone?

What I am asking residents to do is to attend Planning Board meetings, which are every other Monday, with April 16 being an extremely important one. We need to let them know we do not want this type of development to take place.

We must question their every move, all the details of their plans. If enough of us are willing to show up and let them know how we feel, they have no choice but to listen. We cannot afford to sit quietly and watch what is left of open, wooded space get mowed down and turned into house after house.

As the song goes, "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone; they paved paradise and put up a parking lot," or in this case a monstrous development. Please lend your voice.

Elaine Straughn is a resident of Jackson.