Maureen Vella, Hillsborough
Over the years, Hillsborough has faced a daunting challenge: How to maintain our quality of life, while effectively managing growth that comes from literally being in the crossroads of central New Jersey.
Factor in our beautiful environmentally sensitive areas of town such as the Sourlands, and remaining agricultural rural landscapes, which must be preserved for the ages, with the need to keep our taxes low, and the challenge becomes even greater.
Through the efforts of many concerned people of both political parties, a thoughtful Master Plan that includes forward thinking elements, such as the Town Center and a little further down the line, a Transit Village, puts Hillsborough on the right path to maintaining an effective balance between preserving and growing.
Over the last few years there has been a distressing trend to undermine our future plans with elements of it being chipped away.
Recently, our governor canceled the ARC tunnel that would have, in conjunction with a proposed reactivation of the West Trenton Line through Hillsborough, brought a renewed economic vitality to our region, less congestion to our roads and less pollution to our environment. The day the announcement was made, my opponent should have been up in arms against the governor’s action. Instead, he has not uttered one word publicly on this subject. This decision effectively ends our plans for a Transit Village and leaves Hillsborough’s overall plans for the future uncertain. Meanwhile, my opponent takes credit for the last two years of sustainability efforts in Hillsborough.
We must make sure we do not, in the name of short-term expediency, lose what is special about Hillsborough by allowing the slow but sure undermining of plans that will jeopardize our future.
Town Center zoning has been revised to allow for building designs that fail to meet the standards established in the Town Center plan. As a result, we end up with buildings that do not function to promote the concept of a downtown that was envisioned in the plan. A vibrant downtown is critical to keeping taxes under control, as it would help relieve the burden on homeowners.
If elected, I would call for a complete review of the recent zoning changes to determine their impact, taken as a whole, on our long-term plans.
The all volunteer Architectural and Design Standards Committee was established, in a bipartisan manner, to provide guidance as we move forward. This subcommittee was established to provide for a cooperative design review and was well received. My opponent, under the guise of making things less complicated, disbanded it. Planning for the future of Hillsborough is necessary. This committee is critical to ensure that the completion of the bypass does not inadvertently result in our downtown losing its luster to be a functional, well-designed and economically advantageous business district. Shortcuts and limiting citizen input only leads to a community that fails to meet its long-term goals.
If elected, I will fight to make Hillsborough a better place to live. Visit my website, maureenvella2010.com.
The writer is the Democratic candidate for a three-year term on the Township Committee.
