By Amy Batista, Special Writer
EAST WINDSOR — The Township Council unanimously resolved to amend its Open Space and Recreation Plan on June 2.
“What the update does is it updates the plan to include the open space parcels that have been acquired since the last time it was updated and it is also intended to accommodate the goals for that updated information,” Mayor Janice Mironov said.
Sean O’Connor, a Republican candidate for Township Council, had concerns about the update.
“I would like to know why the present plan, which I have studied and did bring with me tonight, why it has no updated information since 2004,” Mr. O’Connor said.
The plan was last amended on Sept. 7, 2004. He said since that time the township has acquired more than 1,000 acres of open space.
“I just want to know why that isn’t documented here,” he said.
Mayor Mironov, who is also running for re-election this year, said, “We do update regularly and we have been every year when we make a new purchase in what is called our ROSI (Recreation Open Space Inventory). It is a requirement of Green Acres.”
That inventory is totally up-to-date, she added.
She said the council regularly discusses open space at its meetings.
“We have regularly submitted applications through Green Acres and to Mercer County over the years for open space funding in order to make acquisitions,” she said.
The most recent parcel the township closed on was the 24 acres on Airport Road in the beginning of the year, she said.
Mr. O’Connor asked why information wasn’t on the township website for residents to read.
“I want to bring up a key point that is made in this plan,” he said. “It says based on standards of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the state’s Outdoor Recreation Plan, East Windsor’s acreage of parkland exceeds the recommended acreage. Now, that was as of 2004 when the acreage was 1,656.”
He said at that time the county and township had a short-term plan to preserve an additional 1,000 acres.
“My question is this, and I am just basing this on the plan that you passed, if we’ve exceeded by far the recommended acreage of open space and you have since exceeded your goal of acquiring an additional 1,000 acres do you think now we have enough open space,” he said. “I would like to know why or why not.”
Mayor Mironov said, “I don’t think there is any science to how much open space we require or don’t. We’ve done it on a property-by-property basis on our target list. There are several factors that go into it including whether it makes sense and it’s in an area of the community that would serve the balance, enhances quality of life for the residents, costs are feasible, is it available for purchase, what money can be used to purchase the open space or preserved farmland such as Green Acres or county grant funding and developer funds, and more.”
According to the resolution, the amount of land needed to be retained as open space depends on the general character of the community desired. East Windsor Township intends to retain its semi-rural nature and preserve existing farmland and residentially zoned undeveloped areas to maintain the existing balance of residential development and open space.
“We also have a series of targeted properties that we regularly discuss through memo information with the staff,” Mayor Mironov said, adding that most of them are out in rural areas.
She added that open space also provides for environmental and ecosystem protection for plant and animal life in the town.
“It’s always been our goal and it is a top goal of council to ensure that we reserve significant amounts of open space and farmland preservation so that we have a balanced land use within East Windsor,” she said. “It allows us to weather literally many of the situations that occur.”
She noted the township had less flooding during storms than many areas in other communities.
“We certainly do attribute that to putting in less impervious coverage and we are allowing the open space plan to remain as it is,” she said. “There are also reports that have been done by expert groups that indicated that the cost of residential development exceeds the cost of preserving the property as open space and preserved farmland.”
Councilman Peter Yeager, who is also running for re-election this year, said, “As far as the goals and the policies that we see in here are consistent. Those haven’t changed since councils before us have adopted plans to preserve open space, preserve stream corridors and protect environmentally sensitive lands.”
Councilman Perry Shapiro said, “We have turned down some offers of properties for open space because we would rather see them stay out in the marketplace and be developed. It’s not like we just grab everything that we see. We have been using discrimination a lot actually at what we look at and what would work for us and what would best work for the environment.”
Councilman Alan Rosenberg said the citizens of East Windsor tell council members over and over again how important open space is to them and really appreciate the way that “we have maintained this area.”
Councilman John Zoller, who is also running for re-election this year, said that farmland preservation is very important not only to the township but to the county.
“We have people earning a living doing farming,” he said. “They should continue to do that and we should support them in that regard.”
