To the Editor: Highlands Job Not Finished Yet
RPP Supports Highlands But Growth Areas Needed
Corrections or additions?
This article was prepared for the July 21, 2004
issue of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Between the Lines
After last week’s Bastille Day cover story, we received one – just one
– phone call from a man in our circulation area (not necessarily a
reader) complaining about the cover photograph of the French flag
(flying just below the American flag at the headquarters of L’Oreal in
Cranbury).
The caller assured us that he hadn’t read the article, but he didn’t
need to in order to voice his objection to our feature on the French,
who support and fund terrorism and who helped enable the tragedy of
9/11. Before he went too far we voiced a wish and a prediction. The
wish was that he would write a letter detailing for all of us just how
this insidious French connection plays out. The prediction was that he
never would write such a letter.
What made us think that, he asked. After a few more minutes of polite
argument, and before we got a chance to explain our prediction, the
caller abruptly hung up – he didn’t have time to argue with people
with an attitude like ours, he explained. Our belief is that these
people never put their arguments in writing because they know they are
most effective when they are whispered in dark and conspiratorial
tones. And that’s what makes a phone call like that unsettling.
Meanwhile, perhaps you have heard some whispers about that Highlands
Water Protection and Preservation Act. We sought out the opinions of
a housing developer and a “Smart Growth” advocate. Both, we are happy
to say, were quick to put their arguments in writing:
Top Of PageTo the Editor: Highlands Job Not Finished Yet
The passage of the Highlands act must be seen as a step toward
balancing the preservation of open space in New Jersey with the
obligation to ensure that people have someplace safe to live. Because
the new law fails to mandate growth, the job isn’t finished yet.
As New Jersey’s population continues to swell, the creation of new
homes has not kept pace with our expanding population. Today the state
is suffering from an acute housing shortage that nobody wants to talk
about. We either must make room for our new residents or shut off
population growth. The more realistic approach is to plan for growth.
First, the state must ensure that responsible, environmentally
sensitive growth at appropriate densities is encouraged in the
Highlands “planning area.” Historically, towns have resisted growth,
in part because they said they could not afford the infrastructure
changes necessary to support new homes. Now, generous incentives and
support are being offered to address those concerns.
Meanwhile, it’s important that we continue to discuss preservation and
growth and apply it to the rest of New Jersey. We must determine what
areas across the state – including in the Pinelands preservation area
– should be preserved and what areas, with appropriate incentives and
support, can accommodate the growth our state is experiencing.
The Highlands bill has passed. We now must ensure that we have a
balance of preservation and appropriate growth. And we must get back
to the larger task of figuring out where New Jerseyans will live.
Joe RiggsGroup president, K. Hovnanian CompaniesTop Of PageRPP Supports Highlands But Growth Areas NeededAs our name implies, the Regional Planning Partnership advocatesregional planning. We supported the Highlands Water Protection andPreservation Act for its potential to bring regional land use andconservation planning to a region with a number of critical resourcessignificant to the entire state of New Jersey and beyond. RPP hasoffered the Governor the expertise of our staff, board, andbroad-based membership as well as the tools and strategies that wehave developed to help make the regional plan that is developed underthis Act achieve the goals of Smart Growth – a beneficial economy, ahealthy environment, and social justice.Although we supported the bill, RPP told the Governor before he signedit that we were concerned that there was no clear direction as to howappropriate growth centers were to be selected. We also told him wefelt there were no compelling incentives provided by the act for townsto opt for growth. Without growth centers, the promise of theHighlands bill, the new Transfer of Development Rights Act, andultimately any Smart Growth initiative anywhere, will fail. In thisrespect, we agree with the New Jersey Builders Association and JoeRiggs, a builder with K. Hovnanian who served on the HighlandsCoalition.RPP supported the Act, however, on the basis that the Council yet tobe appointed and the regional plan yet to be developed could and mustaddress the conflicting issues of economic and environmentalstakeholders. RPP, working with the Central Jersey TransportationForum, has designed a public process to develop such a regional plan,called the Regional Action Plan process, that targets for growth andconservation are established and met, and that will ensure a balanceamong competing goals: local vs. regional, growth vs. conservation,housing vs. commercial development, etc.Even with the right process, we understand the challenge in reachingsuch a balance. For this reason, we recommended that the Governorappoint well qualified staff and members of the Highlands Council andthat he ensure that the Council has adequate resources to beeffective.Because the resources in the Highlands are for people both inside andoutside the region, we also recommended that the structure of theCouncil should reflect the same. All Council members should begubernatorial appointments. The Highlands as a whole – not particularcounties or municipalities – should make up half the Council, and theremaining public appointments should represent the state as a whole.This structure will help ensure that the plan will achieve bothregional and statewide goals.This does not mean that we propose that the plan will be developedwithout local and county government and other stakeholder involvement.Far from it. The Regional Action Plan process is designed to integratelocal, regional and state interests.In the end, RPP supported the enactment of the Highlands WaterProtection and Planning Act because we agreed with its primary goal,to ensure that there is an adequate and clean water supply for morethan half of the people who live in this state. We also agreed withthe compelling case for protecting land in the Highlands as the meansto protect the water.Sustainable development – the product of Smart Growth – is ultimatelyabout outcomes, not process: it must produce appropriate economicgrowth, improve both economic and racial integration, and protect andenhance the quality of the environment. It can only achieve thesegoals by addressing where the growth will go as aggressively asaddressing where land should be protected. We remain optimistic thatwith the appropriate balance and leadership on the Council and withthe appropriate resources and process, the regional plan for both thePreservation Area and the Planning Area can do both.Dianne BrakePresident, Regional Planning Partnership, a non-partisan,non-profit dedicated to enhancing the quality of community lifethrough sound land use and regional cooperation.Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
