Impeach the Planning Board, Says Waterview Development Opponent

At Monday's Planning Board meeting, the board was supposed to cross-examine the developers' plan through his representative. None of that happened. In fact, the model of the proposed development was not there as it had been at the previous meeting.

Wanting to challenge and demonstrate the ambiguities that existed in the developers' EcoScience report regarding their claims about Waterview's wetlands and wetlands transition zones was impossible. The developer swears by this "science report" and apparently the Planning Board has swallowed the bait.

Last night we discovered that because the property has not been developed some injustice is being done. On these grounds they opted  to support the developer over the community.

Asking the people to consider the developer's rights and RD Realty's constant attempts to be successful with its private interest is not right. The Planning Board ignores the fact that this development is not in keeping with state of New Jersey's Smart Development Criteria. The members also refuse to realize the importance of the wetlands issue. They side with the developer that says no wetlands exist on or near enough to the site to warrant any attention; that no short-term impacts will occur.

This is impossible! The very EcoScience report they claim gives them the green light should set off alarms telling them to recognize the wetlands issue. The board is allowing an unnecessary, undesirable infliction on the community's quality of life and undermining state laws and criteria established so that helter-skelter type sprawl doesn't happen. Instead we have a Planning Board that chooses automobiles over people, big developers over communities' sense of place.

There is no room for compromise: The balance has long been tipped in the wrong direction. This development should not go forward. Waterview needs an new zoning assessment to have the mature upland forest community exist in our community. No hurry, let's see if we can re-zone and have a community purchase of the property. The real "worth" is the forest.

The Planning Board should be impeached because of not following Smart Development principals, ignoring wetlands laws and regulations. The members do not realize that we are in an environmental crisis. They won't openly admit that something is wrong.

Just because no development has ever existed on that property doesn't make it a sin. No, the sin is with us.

Nicholas Homyak
Lake Hiawatha