Mayor response to Monroe

[anon-26p3]

http://www.centraljersey.com/opinion/the_cranbury_press/cranbury-mayor-s-column/article_513740ae-2274-5be5-818d-cf435a6b5c80.html

Interesting Mayor’s column this month in the Press. While not about Penske Jay does address Halssey Reed.

What I find interesting and applicable to Penske is the issue of Spot Zoning. People want to complain about Penske and Halsey Reed. However, no one complaining has a solution that is not illegal to do other than encourage housing which kills our taxes and schools.

On Halsey Reed I am not sure I agree with the TC’s actions to try and buy the land. But, short of buying it there is nothing that can be done by the town. The zone is already a warehouse zone and I agree if you buy a home it is your obligation to recognize where you are buying.

A developer could buy it for Homes and given the Monroe Mayor’s planning report it seems the developer would have case for a court suit. Here is a professional report saying homes are appropriate and there are neighborhoods around it. If Cranbury denied a variance the developer could sue.

So Monroe and the Halsey Reed residents could add 400 units (guessing apartments) so because they bought into a warehouse area they are willing to kill our town over a warehouse.

Our proposed TC members this fall should be vetted to see where they stand on the issue.

[anon-26n6]

Are distribution centers the same thing as warehouses?

Our planning led to increased truck traffic which is negatively affecting the image of our town and the stores on main Street.

[anon-2586]

The trucks have nothing to do with Main Street. For years the “residents” didn’t even considered 130 or any other street that wasn’t main st even part of Cranbury. So they never cared what happens UNITL NOW.

[anon-26p3]

The town has for 30 years had a plan to preserve land on the West and use the revenue from the revenue from commercial on the East. If you moved onto Brickyard Rd then you knew the unexcelled property where Amazon is would eventually get developed. It used to be a munitions plant and I’d rather live next to a distribution center than a bomb and grenade making facility. But, you knew it would not stay that way forever.

If you chose to live on the East off station road you knew what you were buying. It is why those houses on the west side are far below the market median. The only ones who complain are those who lived there prior to 1992.

It has nothing to do with Main st., it in preserving the town as a whole. The focus has always been to stop residential growth and preserve farmland. To do that you need the commercial area on the west or you end up like Monroe and West Windsor. Monroe and west Windsor due to a lack of eatables have to meet their affordable housing obligations by building housing at a 4 or 5 to 1 ratio. Meaning that for every affordable unit a builder builds 4 or 5 market rate units. In Cranbury we build our affordable units and avoid the market rate houses because of the warehouse revenue.

The stores on Main st are not impacted by the trucks one bit. Nor is the image of Cranbury. That ignores the facts. If it was we would not have homes sell so quickly or have 600k average assessment which is higher than the market average. The homes for sale would would sit longer and we’d have fewer multiple offer sales.

What would affect the image of Cranbury in a negative way is losing Princeton, building new schools, a 400 unit apartment building, higher taxes. That is your only option. Continue the plan or sacrifice the town to cheap housing.

[anon-po04]

[quote="anon-26p3"]http://www.centraljersey.com/opinion/the_cranbury_press/cranbury-mayor-s-column/article_513740ae-2274-5be5-818d-cf435a6b5c80.html

Great Article in the press.