Blame state lawmakers for conversion proposals

Mayor Dave Fried, Robbinsville
   I want to commend The Messenger-Press for its coverage of the five Planning Board hearings that led to the April 20 vote to deny Sharbell Development Corp. the right to convert 150 units from age-restricted to market-rate housing. While dozens of residents attended the hearings over many months, those who could not be there appreciated being able to follow the process. Planning Board members who voted 5-1 against the application did not simply follow popular will; members cited specific reasons why the builder’s request represented a “substantial detriment to the public good,” not to mention a departure from the original plan for the site.
   During the months of hearings, many residents have asked my opinion on the matter. As I said right after the vote, the problem did not start with Sharbell’s application. This challenge to our community started in 2009, when the Legislature and former Gov. Corzine inexplicably passed a law that made these conversions possible. In a late-night vote, they uprooted years’ worth of careful planning by towns across the state, with no offer of additional school aid to towns affected by these conversions. As Planning Board member Thomas Kolibas said, the Legislature stripped towns of their right to self-determination.
   Thus, it’s pointless to blame Sharbell or any other builder for trying to take advantage of a law that was written with their interests in mind. The real blame rests with those lawmakers who failed to represent the people who put them in office, including our current assemblyman, Joseph Malone, R-Bordentown, a sponsor of the law. Due to redistricting, Robbinsville will no longer be in Mr. Malone’s district, but long after he is gone we will be left with the costs of his actions.
   As The Messenger-Press reported immediately after the vote, Sharbell is planning to take the township to court. This is not a surprise. It also means that no matter the outcome, Robbinsville taxpayers bear the burden of the 2009 law: At a minimum, we will spend thousands in legal fees to defend our Planning Board’s decision; at worst, we will end up bearing the cost of educating school-age children not envisioned when the township created zoning and expanded the sewer area to accommodate Sharbell’s age-restricted project.
   What can residents do? Join with me in asking the Legislature to overturn this law. The interests it was designed to serve are not yours.
Mayor Dave Fried
Robbinsville