The hills are alive with the sound of construction
Millstone, Upper Freehold working on their long-range development plans
SARAH McCOLGAN Single-family houses in a new Hovnanian development in Upper Freehold back up to the Allentown High School sports field.
Looking toward the future, all towns, especially large rural ones, are attempting to decide how much growth is enough and how to balance and manage it by fine-tuning their master plans.
Over the past 10 years, the population has spread over the rolling hills in rural Western Monmouth County. The panhandle population has grown in the two large townships of Millstone and Upper Freehold, but remained rather constant in the smaller boroughs of Roosevelt and Allentown.
Preliminary data from the U.S. Census 2000 proves the obvious to people living and driving in the area.
Millstone, with 37.8 square miles, is expanding faster than any of the other towns, while the population in Roosevelt, with its 1.93 square miles, has hardly increased at all.
Upper Freehold, with 47.45 square miles, has grown quite a bit more than tiny Allentown, but that is not surprising since Upper Freehold has so much undeveloped land, and Allentown, at 0.6 square miles the smallest town in terms of area, is pretty much developed.
Although Millstone is somewhat smaller in land mass than Upper Freehold, according to the 2000 census, the population has grown about 79 percent in the last 10 years, from 5,069 to 8,970 residents.
Millstone Mayor Evan Maltz could not be reached for comment, but Millstone Township Committeeman William Kastning said Millstone not only has the highest growth rate in western Monmouth, but the highest growth rate in Monmouth County.
"I actually [predicted] a 9,000 population figure in early 2000, but everyone laughed at me. The committee felt it was going to be in the mid 7,000."
They all underestimated the number of large homes — what some people call "McMansions" — that would be built on the town’s large treeless farm lands.
Kastning explained that just before the economic downturn of the late 1980s, a lot of subdivisions were approved, but remained fallow until the economy improved. "There were 1,200 to 1,300 building lots involved," he said. "A lot of developers went belly up, and some went back to the banks, some of which also went belly up. Once the economy recovered, a lot of growth took place in preapproved subdivisions.
"Since then we’ve had other developments approved. They are in various phases of approval and development."
Kastning continued, "According to zoning, as it stands now, they [township officials] believe there are 1,200 lots to be built on before the township would be built out. Another 40 percent of our township is still to be developed primarily in three- and four-acre zoning.
"We are working on a master plan that won’t be finished until late 2003. We can’t really start until the natural resources inventory is completed. Whether there will be changes in the zoning is anyone’s guess right now."
Kastning said a lot depends on the overall economic picture. "If it stays constant, our growth will continue unabated. The Open Space and Farmland Preservation Program has preserved a lot of land, and due to zoning changes we passed last year, they [developers] can’t build on steep slopes and wetlands or where soil conditions are an issue. We also have a much more rigorous Board of Health, so it’s harder to get septic tank approvals than in the past."
Upper Freehold has increased its population by about 1,000 people, going from a total 1990 population of 3,277 to 4,282. But if development continues the way it has been lately, Upper Freehold’s population could soon double.
"There have been a substantial number of homes built in the last 10 years," said Mayor David Horsnall. "Most of the population increase has come about because of four or five subdivision areas."
In addition, he said, Hovnanian is finishing a development on part of an old farm as well as age-restricted homes and single-family homes on another farm, both on Ellisdale Road. These developments will add another 1,000 people within the next two years or so.
"We have a few other applications, but none will impact Upper Freehold Township from a demographics perspective as much as the Hovnanian complex," he explained.
Horsnall is not sure how the age-restricted housing — the township’s first — will affect the township.
"The age-restricted housing is going to be very nice homes, but with people who do not have children. We don’t know what kinds of ideas they will have about the township, and the way it should go," he said.
"The reality is that we’re going to build more houses. We do have an open space plan for active and passive recreation, and continuing farmland preservation programs. The biggest and most important part is to make sure all of our community is involved. We’re reviewing our master plan right now. This will impact at least the next 10 years."
The mayor said that officials are trying hard to keep things in balance, with managed growth and managed development. "We have a lot of agribusiness in Upper Freehold: nurseries, equine, grain crops, that sort of thing. We want to make it possible for agribusinesses to be viable."
Allentown and Roosevelt have remained pretty consistent since the 1990 census results were published. The total population of Allentown was reported to be 1,828 people, while the 2000 count is 1,882.
The results are pretty much the same in Roosevelt, which has a 2000 population of 933 compared to 884 in 1990.
Recently Roosevelt rescinded two zoning ordinances that allowed for development of a planned community on a 500-acre undeveloped parcel located on the north end of town. The developer, US Home, wants to build between 250-266 age-restricted homes on the site, which would have almost doubled the town’s housing stock, if not its population.
US Home has filed a lawsuit against the town, so it remains to be seen whether Roosevelt can prevent development on that particular parcel. But, due to the diligence of a local nonprofit organization, the Fund for Roosevelt, and the support of the community, the borough has been able to preserve over 342 acres that had been under development pressure.
As for the racial and ethnic characteristics of the predominately Caucasian towns, the percentage of white residents has remained pretty constant. The only notable change is in the Asian population in Millstone. In 1990, 96 people characterized themselves as Asian or "other" race, while in 2000, 308 characterized themselves as Asian and 55 as "other."
In the 2000 census, the two categories were split. The "other" race category includes all other responses not included in the white, black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander race categories, according to information provided by U.S. Census Bureau. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial or a Hispanic/Latino group such as Mexican, Puerto Rican or Cuban in the "other" race category are also included in this category.
The 2000 census report also includes a separate breakdown by Hispanic or Latino race or not Hispanic or Latino race.
In Upper Freehold 48 residents said they were Asian or other in 1990; in 2000, 60 said they were Asian and 36 of some other race.
Allentown has 12 Asians and 11 people categorized as other. In 1990, 26 people reported they were Asian or other.
Considering the small population in Roosevelt, percentage-wise the ethnic characteristics of the town have changed somewhat. Although it is still predominantly white, 40 people reported that they are Asian or other, compared to 10 in 1999.
In the black or African American category, the population has gone down in three of the towns, Upper Freehold, Roosevelt and Allentown. The number checking off that category in Millstone increased from 252 to 274 in 2000.
Not surprisingly, the smallest population in all towns is the new category of Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders: one in Roosevelt, zero for Upper Freehold and Allentown and three in Millstone.
In Millstone, 315 people also identified themselves as being Hispanic or Latino in 2000 and 84 as being of two or more races; in Upper Freehold, 151 said they were Hispanic or Latino and 80 that they were of two or more races.
In Roosevelt, 42 were Hispanic or Latino and 38 of two or more races; and in Allentown, 36 were Hispanic or Latino and 21 of two more races.
Census figures for other categories are not available yet for most of the towns in New Jersey. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it will begin the release of more detailed information from Census 2000 sometime this summer.
The population picture in Western Monmouth County is in flux, but, as Millstone Committeeman Kastning said, a lot depends on each towns master plan and the economy.