Brenda Tannenbaum
Resident: Millstone master plan needs to be on fast track
Guest Column
Brenda Tannenbaum
Resident: Millstone master plan needs to be on fast track
At the Feb. 5 Township Committee meeting, review of the master plan was an agenda item. The topic came up for discussion at 10:20 p.m., was discussed for 10 minutes and then the public was provided time to speak until 11:00 p.m. After the public comment, Mayor William Nurko and Committeemen John Pfefferkorn and Cory Wingerter voted to have ordinances which would implement the zoning changes recommended in the master plan drawn up for the committee’s consideration.
Two committeemen voted against the measure — Committeemen Charles Abate and Chet Halka. A campaign statement made by Mayor Nurko and Mr. Halka last year was to control township spending to reduce or stabilize our property taxes. Implementation of the master plan to stabilize growth is mandatory to achieve this goal, and yet Mr. Halka and Mr. Abate, who Nurko appointed deputy mayor, voted against having the planner draw up ordinances that support the zoning in the master plan..
Mr. Abate was quoted in the Messenger Press stating that he wanted to see further review because he was not part of the Planning Board that made these recommendations. Mr. Abate had the opportunity to attend Planning Board meetings. It is the responsibility of the Planning Board to draft the master plan and the responsibility of the committee to draft the ordinances implementing the master plan.
Mr. Abate has had the master plan since October, and in January stated at a committee meeting that he had not even finished reading the master plan. Mr. Abate also stated that he was concerned that the zoning change to 6-10 acres would not survive litigation. However, a resident who is an attorney and the township attorney both confirmed that a master plan similar to ours had been upheld when appealed in court and that our plan should hold up if challenged.
Mr. Halka, whose family and business interests own approximately 1,000 acres which will be affected by zoning changes, voted against authorizing the planner to draw up ordinances that support the zoning changes in the master plan. He was willing to vote against a plan that is clearly in the best interest of over 95 percent of Millstone residents.
Yes, the large landowners in town are concerned about the impact on the value of the land, and this is certainly something the town should look at. However, the implementation of a master plan is not just about land value, it is about planning for the future, infrastructure requirements, roads, schools, and services required by the community. The single biggest determinant of township spending is the required infrastructure, which is directly tied to population growth, which ultimately is determined by the number of residential lots.
It is not the committee’s responsibility to maximize the future land value and retirement security to a small few at the expense of the majority who will bear the tax consequences of these actions. New residents to this community and long-term residents who plan to remain in Millstone need to be aware of the impact on the delay of the master plan. We cannot afford to delay the master plan on the unsupported fears of a few.
Our taxes will go up even under the new master plan. However, implementation of the new master plan will control growth, maintaining our quality of life and ensuring that any tax increases are minimized as much as possible.
I strongly urge the committee to focus on the writing of the ordinances which specifically apply to implementing the 6-10 acre zoning and approve them as soon as possible. Other related ordinances should be drafted and approved in a timely manner as well.
Brenda Tannenbaum is a resident of Millstone Township