‘Abracadabra poof’ – 500 New Jobs at Waterview !!

On October 1 the Parsippany Council will most likely vote after the public hearing to rezone the 27 acre “Waterview property” located on the corner of Route 46 and Intervale Road.   The rezone will permit commercial strip malls, big box retail and high density residential townhomes to be built on the property.

The Parsippany mayor and his consultants (paid for by Parsippany tax payers) support this rezone since they have been told by the developer it will be good for the economy and will bring in 500 new jobs. Now his consultants say it will only bring in 285 new jobs.  What happened to all those promised jobs at Waterview??? Abra-ca-pocus !! NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T!

Municipal officials mistakenly believe big box is a form of economic development (http://economics.missouri.edu/working-papers/2002/WP0215_basker.pdf). A newly constructed mega strip mall does not increase the amount of money a community has to spend. Sales at these stores often result is sales losses at existing small businesses and elsewhere. Furthermore, there is a false perception that hundreds of new jobs have been created, since the new employees are very visible wearing fresh smocks, . . . while layoffs are occurring throughout the small business community as they quietly disappear.  Small businesses typically provided better pay and health insurance compared to most big box jobs, . . . jobs that are part time and without benefits. It has been well documented that big box retail does not provide spill over to the local economy since big box have their own wholesale distribution systems, web designers, advertising professionals, accountants, lawyers, and they do not buy locally (http://www.ilsr.org/key-studies-walmart-and-bigbox-retail/#4).

Come to the public hearing at Parsippany Hills High School, 20 Rita Drive, October 1 at 7:00 PM and voice your concerns.  Let’s hope the good gentlemen sitting on Council see through all the shenanigans their administration and RD Realty has been touting the last year and a half and vote down this “Overlay Abomination.”