At the Town-Meeting January 14 a long sought after answer finally was given by Councilman dePierro; "what happened to the process of NJ Highlands Master Plan Conformance with our Municipal Master Plan as of July 17 2008 not a word had been heard, repeated inquires by me not answered by the Planning Board or Town Council. Then low and behold the proud response by dePierro, Home Rule. Then a further response by Town Attorney Inglesino which was an open & public lie concerning the question relating to NJ Highlands Regional Master Plan.
Inglesino's statement concerning the Highlands Master Plan being "unconstitutional" was false on its face, in fact four times being challenged as such it was deemed not so. Council-man dePierro's boasting of Home Rule in reference to not to adopting the Regional Plan is even news to the Highlands Coalition itself. Inglesino mentioned Parsippany started Highlands conformance in 2008 only because of Governor Corzine. The Governor had nothing to do with the Plan, its stems from science and land use laws best practices and smart low impact development. Its main theme is preventing market style land development schemes that do-not consider these practices, which would result in loss of water quality and quantity. In short the future will eventually catch up with us. So home rule as dePierro calls it; ignores experts in the field of land and city management. When he looks at all the sprawl he must honor himself above all else in his "home rule" It seems to me home rule works in favor of the developers whom could care less about the future or the present for Parsippany. PLEASE TELL US WHEN, HOW AND WHY PARSIPPANY REJECTED THE NJHIGHLANDS MASTER PLAN CONFORMANCE? AND WITHOUT PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS? When Christie & Inglesino got into position? Oh; it only counts for Corzine.
Progress is politically conveniently blind, Smart Growth Regional Planning is not and its open to change when necessary. Home Rule is a closed click of Town Officials and Corporate Developers. We are being denied our own community enhancement and jeopardizing our Regional and Town future in the name of Home Rule. Seems anti-American to me. How much does this Home Rule costs the town in legal fees for settling always in favor of some developer. The Highlands Master Plan Conformance would protect us from this; without its legal protections home rule is a joke because we the people never win.
They believe they would have to give up their sacred "home rule", ceding to a regional authority (which is a myth because the most character-changing developments in a community is when a developer sues a town to build an out-of-scope, huge development. What's home rule when the zoning of your community isn't determined by your Master Plan, but by the developer who has the time and resources to win in court?).
Change and development is inevitable not to adhere to a regional Plan for the common good of all is egotistical and supports private interest above all other, including science. Parsippany has somehow managed to separate itself into a fiefdom of private interest and wealth in shrinking spirit of true civility and community enhancement. From the NJHighlands Master Plan,
Low Impact development begins with a process that reads or analyzes the land first and allows the natural features of the land to guide site design, stormwater management and resource protection.
None of this occurred at the Waterview fiasco nor is it occurring at Forge Pond. The Township Administration supported the developers both directly and indirectly. Only Citizens Action stopped home rule.
Finally here we have the definition of home rule:
Home rule is the power of a constituent part (administrative division) of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governancewithin its own administrative area that have been decentralised to it by the central government.
Even under this defined meaning, Parsippany's home rule should be Parsippany's Conformance to the Regional Master Plan because its the right thing to do. dePeirro has his own definition.
