Letter to the editor
To the editor:
I have great concern over the amount of land in Lawrence Township that is being consumed for land development. Projects such as new malls, car dealerships and housing developments are destroying the natural land of this beautiful township.
Lawrence is turning into a largely commercial town where it is becoming difficult to find an untouched and peaceful area to enjoy nature. Many people are raising children here, and it is important that they are not brought up in a purely commercial and unnatural setting. The town council seems to be focusing only on the financial benefits of developing all the property that is available without weighing the drawbacks of depleting the natural lands of the township. The amount of rural land that is being preserved is diminishing and farmland is slowly disappearing in the “Garden State.” It is unfair to distribute Lawrence to commercial businesses and developers because new development means more traffic, more people, more pollution and more consumerism.
Having Route 1 lined with commercial businesses and building housing developments to house the residents attracted by job opportunities may be convenient and economically sound, but in non-financial terms this is not a healthy way to build a town. There is an excess of car dealerships and malls, and the rate at which farmlands are being destroyed and devoured is disgusting. Lawrence Township ought to do the right thing and keep itself from becoming a completely business-oriented area. It should be run by the people who live here, not by the companies who want to use it for their own financial benefit.
Kristin Johansson
Bunker Hill Avenue