Proposed Waterview is 'Opportunity to Develop Green Spaces,' Reader Says

This Letter to the Editor is from John Mitros of Mountain Lakes

Man does not live by bread alone or by ease of shopping at Whole Foods.

The Planning Board this week basically rubber stamped approval of the Waterview overlay proposal.

The township and  the planning board ignore all objections including real conflict of interest  with town planner Ed Snieckus. No public commentary was allowed. The mayor and Michael DePierro seem to have their minds made up regardless of any further objections raised by reasonable people. Their body actions and reactions to commentary at meetings clearly shows that their minds are made up. They seem to have tax revenues  uppermost in their minds. They're like the prodigal sons in the Bible  in that they are spending Parsippany’s inheritance. The difference here is that they can no longer come back to the father to gain forgiveness  and be made whole again. Once the inheritance is  spent it is gone.

There is a wonderful opportunity to develop green spaces and recreational spaces for the people of Morris County and not just for today. The history of Parsippany shows that they have wasted their inheritance up to this point. The town was dominated by large dairy farms and chicken farms, and large estates owned by Geraldine R. Dodge, the Ballantine family, and the McAlpin  family. Development pressures threatened Craftsman Farms. Highway development impacted Beverwyck mansion, and the Livingston Benedict House.  Little of the past remains. What should the Parsippany of the future look like? What parts of the past will we choose to continue to preserve?

Once gone it will never be brought back. This last 28 acres in waterview can still be saved. Condemnation proceedings and use of Greenacres funds would Be a major asset for the community. But it is clear That the mayor and the councilman are blinded by the dollar sign. Even the city planner has been compromised and is serving under A conflict of interest. The the rationale provided atTuesday nights Planning Board meeting was purely subjective. There were issues as to spot  zoning and clear issues as to housing and the original office approvals. The arguments made for the plan could as easily been, with a slight different emphasis, made against the overlay.

Once this property is developed we will never see green lands here. But this is typical of Parsippany lack of foresight and short sightedness dictated by the tax dollars. It is very disappointing.

John Mitros

Mountain Lakes NJ