Land use reform needs tax reform

Alison Miller of West Windsor
    Land use reform without tax reform? It isn’t going to happen. And it shouldn’t. Smart growth requires reform of New Jersey’s land use regulations so that the present single-use suburban sprawl pattern of development will be replaced with dense, mixed use centers. This change is frequently touted as a necessary part of the solution to the problems of pollution, over-reliance on fossil fuels, traffic congestion, and the lack of affordable housing.
   Proponents of reform deplore the widespread local opposition they encounter. Why would anyone oppose smart growth? Because proponents of smart growth need to be more honest and accurate in selling their product. They have to admit there are disadvantages to dense development, as examination of police reports will show. They have to admit that without access to jobs, or public transportation, or shopping, dense residential development alone is not an improvement over sprawl. And they have to admit that even the smartest of smart growth development can be expensive to the host community, and that without financial assistance, dense developments do not make fiscal sense in most municipalities.
   If dense development brought with it state-funding for bicycle and pedestrian-friendly roads, new police officers and teachers, and sewer and water infrastructure, municipalities would welcome density and developers would be able to charge less for their products, thus helping to ease the affordable housing crunch. Rural and environmentally sensitive municipalities could help the state fund this dense development in appropriate places and, in return, stay rural, preserve the environment and stop contributing to sprawl. But without such tax reform, true land use reform is impossible in New Jersey. Political courage, anyone?
Alison Miller
West Windsor