By Jason Medina of Bordentown Township
The influx of commercial development in our township will bring more than just tax ratables, jobs and much-needed amenities to our community.
Residents must prepare for the less talked about, but equally important, impacts of development, such as an increase in noise and other environmental pollution, the additional strain on municipal services, and the probability of higher property taxes.
With the lack of progress being made to stop the Turnpike expansion, residents should now brace for a double dose of environmental pollution from the coming commercial development.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, buildings in the United States account for 39 percent of total energy use, 12 percent of the total water consumption and 68 percent of total electricity consumption. Even more alarming is that they account for 38 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions. Coupled with the emissions from cars, trucks and motorcycles traveling along a twelve-lane highway, it is easy to see the environmental hazards our residents face.
However, the environmental impact on our families, children, and seniors can be significantly mitigated through progressive leadership and common sense. While revitalization of the Route 130 and 206 corridor is needed, our Township Committee must evaluate and approve development proposals which integrate “green building strategies.”
These environmentally sustainable and high performance buildings are designed, constructed, and operated to minimize the total environmental impacts on communities.
For example, under-floor air systems in green buildings create less velocity than non-green buildings and therefore less whistling and other noise, and green-planted roofs reduce the rate and amount of storm water flowing into our drainage systems, which can overflow and pollute our waterways.
Though the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green building development are too vast to cover in one editorial, support for such technologies and strategies are garnering more and more support from both the private and public sector. Many municipalities have already embraced the concept of green development and our township must do the same for the sake of our present and future residents.
At a recent meeting, developers presented members of the committee with a plan to construct a multi-level hotel with 100-plus rooms and conference center, along with a proposed site for a national chain restaurant to be located nearby. While some members on the committee commented on the aesthetics of the design, the need for luxury suites and the proximity of the buildings to existing residential property, they failed to engage the developers in a meaningful discourse on environmental pollution or the use of green building materials, strategies or designs.
Because the planning phase of green building development is so critical, the committee’s failure to address this issue demonstrates a common practice of evaluating development proposals without regard to green building strategies or designs. Such a practice works to the detriment of our resident’s quality of life and does nothing to address the impact of environmental pollution on our community.
The time to adopt a green policy to deal with the environmental impact of commercial development on our community is now. Not after the buildings are constructed or Turnpike widened, but now. Our residents and future residents deserve that much.

