Make Manville the ‘town that could’

To the editor

    Despite the fact that I applaud the concept of "smart development" and the desire to curb urban sprawl, as a homeowner in Manville, I was heart sickened to see that an aerial shot of our town was utilized as the perfect example of that very thing which Gov. James E. McGreevey wants to do away with.
   If this is the case then why is Manville in the process of re-evaluating its townhouse ordinance which would accommodate 24 families per acre of land as the printing of the ordinance in the Manville News indicates?
   As the change reads, four dwelling structures can be built per acre and can have as few as three or as many as six dwelling units. The last time I looked at the multiplication tables, six times four does equal 24.
   Considering this ordinance should pass at the next council meeting, it would appear that Manville is on the fast track towards increased development and also running the risk of losing state aid as indicated in the Courier News article for those who defy Gov. McGreevey’s plan.
   Our town was polluted by asbestos and then abandoned by the company that infected it. We have one of the largest federal Superfund cleanup sites in the state. We lost about $25,000,000 in tax ratables as the result of Hurricane Floyd. Now we are on the front page of the Courier-News as the poster child example of urban sprawl.
   We have had enough negative media coverage to last an era. How about we get some positive media coverage for a change and highlight the fact that we are "the little town that could," and did overcome all these obstacles and resurrected itself from the ashes like a phoenix?
   I would like to see something like that in the newspapers for a change!

Cynthia Flanagan


Manville