Housing Demand VS Historic Preservation Efforts

New Jersey has the highest population density in the United States at 1,134.4 per square mile according to the 2000 census. (Wikipedia) The land area of New Jersey is just 7,417 square miles so the demand for housing is high. Still New Jersey manages to manages to have about 20% of that area as working farmland which produce fruits, vegetables, and poultry. sea food and dairy products. There are laws that preserve both that Open Spaces and Historic Sites ensuring to that New Jersey will continue to be the Garden State.

At times the preservation efforts comes into direct conflict with the housing demand. New Jersey is uniquely situated because it is an easy commute to both New York and Philadelphia. The attraction in New Jersey is its rural lifestyles. One can get more “house” for investment dollars in New Jersey than in say New York City or Philadelphia. Some towns facing the demand vs preservation dilemmas find themselves re-examining their master plans to decrease the amount of open space which is the very thing that makes New Jersey attractive in the first place.

Preserving the history of towns for posterity is not only the job of each town council member but it is also the responsibility of every town member – or at least it should be. That some towns are knuckling under to the pressure of the short-sighted can only hurt in the long-run. A town’s need for operating capital is a consideration but parceling out open spaces for development would seem to exacerbate the problem by bring more people into an already distressed situation. It’s like when one has family over during the holidays. Everyone must adjust to the larger demand on the finite features of the home.

Since more young people purchase houses as safe investments, when they begin families, education funding will require augmentation. At present in some towns education budgets already have parents footing the bill for program services or watching extensive program cuts. Larger teacher-student ratios will eventual have the predicted effect on test scores so that those who can will look elsewhere when their children become school age. Where is the long-term gain then?

The Hightstown Planning Board faces just such a dilemma. According to a recent story in The Times of Trenton, the town council may have violated its master plan by allowing a large property in an area designated historic to be subdivided. While the matter will probably have to go to Superior Court now to settle the matter it seems best to stick with the well designed master plan and rather than make spontaneous changes.

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