LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Oct. 11
Housing advocates denigrate opponents
To the editor:
I am deeply distressed by the uncivil tenor of the civic conversation over the past couple of years leading to the Regional Planning Board of Princeton’s vote of approval for the Bunn Drive age-restricted condo project.
A productive conversation couldn’t be held when the senior-housing advocates insisted on charging the environmentalists with being "against housing for seniors." Also, they persisted in using the withering epithet NIMBY to denigrate the people who live next to the proposed project.
The neighbors I heard protesting the project had a right to do so, and they protested with vigor, reason and grace. Calling neighbors names for trying to protect their homes is like criticizing bears for protecting their cubs. There’s something wrong with animals and people who fail to protect their homes and families.
Although I heard environmentalists express support for senior housing, I did not hear the senior-housing advocates express respect for, or even understanding of, the environmental imperative (good tree, water and soil management).
Environmentalism is not a dirty word. The tragedy is that the two sides may as well be on different planets.
I think that if the proponents of the Bunn Drive age-restricted condo project had listened respectfully to what the neighbors and environmentalists were saying, then we’d have had a better senior-housing zoning ordinance to work with, and we’d have something better for seniors to live in than the proposed Hovnanian boxes.
Sarah Hollister
Ridgeview Road
Princeton
Cost of housing drives too many people away
To the editor:
Recently, I attended the funeral of a Princeton High School classmate who passed away suddenly at the young age of 41. With any tragedy, it is important to learn something valuable.
At this funeral, I reconnected with many classmates who live just outside of Princeton, and it occurred to me that this community is missing opportunities to have fabulous mentors and community leaders for our children. These classmates had a wide diversity of talents in high school and were wonderful role models and continue to be so in their adult lives. It is people like this who come from families who are the anchors of our community and care about the future of Princeton.
Unfortunately, due to the high cost of living in Princeton and the lack of moderately priced housing, people who can and would contribute significantly to our community cannot stay here. I can only ask and hope that the municipal leaders of Princeton (both elected and appointed) keep this in mind when decisions are being made that affect the ability of people to live in Princeton.
Not only did we lose a great classmate, but I realized we as a community have lost the potential contributions of many of these classmates who have moved away. Let’s prevent another tragedy.
Beth Ogilvie-Freda
Fisher Avenue
Princeton
Zoning should be neighborhood-based
To the editor:
I wish to support the position expressed in Jerry Ford’s recent letter to the editor, "McMansion cap is not the solution" (The Packet, Sept. 30).
In my opinion, first Princeton Borough, and now the township, have misunderstood the issue. The real issue is not the size of the house or the size of the lot. The Princetons have many beautiful, very large houses, often on small lots. Very large houses have been around for a very long time, and are not a product of the current real estate market. Think about it.
The real issue is twofold: 1) the size of the house relative to the surrounding neighborhood; and 2) its appearance from the street that is, its design.
The McMansion phenomenon has folks riled up because super-sized houses are being built in neighborhoods of more modest houses, and therefore look out of place; and because they are often "in-your-face" jarringly ugly. It is the combination of these two factors that Princetonians find offensive. It’s that simple.
The solution is not to further complicate what is already an onerous and overly complex system of zoning regulations. The solution, like the problem, is two-fold, and requires action at both the community Master Plan and zoning level.
First, the Regional Planning Board should take a closer look at the many Princeton neighborhoods. Princetonians, who justifiably take pride in the town’s many differentiated neighborhoods, might be surprised to learn that their community Master Plan contains no substantive reference to neighborhoods. This is no help to the two zoning boards, which in turn must interpret the Master Plan as part of their deliberations of whether a proposed "tear-down" is justified.
Second, the Planning Board should delineate neighborhoods, identify the defining physical characteristics of each one, and establish sensible policies and parameters for their transformation and preservation, based on the character of the neighborhood and its housing stock.
Incidentally, this approach would allow us to move towards a neighborhood-based zoning plan, instead of the incredibly abstract and abstruse system we currently have.
This action will in turn provide the substantive basis for amendments to the zoning with a view towards addressing the design issues. There are a wide variety of design strategies that, when skillfully applied, enable buildings to grow on small lots in ways that enhance, not offend. Our zoning needs real architectural design standards to address these issues. Further manipulation of the tired old zoning bulk standards such as floor area ratios and others will simply not lead us to the desired outcomes.
For some people, larger houses will continue to be important, either as a reflection of the size of their households, the size of their egos or for other reasons. The community should not put itself in the position of having to evaluate either, or of having to determine what size house is appropriate to each household. The community does have a legitimate concern in how larger houses affect the physical fabric of our neighborhoods. That is what we need to focus on.
Carlos Rodrigues
Moore Street
Princeton
The writer is chairman of the Princeton Township Zoning Board of Adjustment.
McMansions affect quality of life
To the editor:
In recent years, Princeton residents have watched as developers have purchased, demolished and then replaced older homes with much larger ones that change the character of neighborhoods, often for the worse. A case in point: K.P. Burke Builder LLC has acquired the corner lot where Littlebrook Road joins Magnolia near Littlebrook School and plans to build a $2+ million house.
Although the old dwelling (now torn down) was probably in need of replacement, many of us who live in the area had hoped that the natural attractions of the property would be preserved. Stretching from this lot into abutting properties on Deerpath, Abernathy, and Clover Lane there are or, more accurately, were lovely woods. A couple of months ago, some of us who live nearby met with a representative of Burke to express our concerns about the size and character of the redevelopment. We were assured that, despite the fact that a few trees would come down, the woods would remain largely intact. The accuracy of that promise is, we suppose, judged in the eye of the beholder; and in our eyes, the woods have been devastated. With large swaths of tall hardwoods cut down, much of the natural beauty of the property has been laid waste. Thus our quality of life and the quality of life of the person who eventually buys the redeveloped property has been diminished.
We are now concerned about the issue of water runoff because the property is relatively low-lying and the owner of the previous dwelling had continuing problems with water in the basement. We can only hope that the significant deforestation of the property and the building of a much bigger structure will not make the drainage problem worse.
Since K.P. Burke Builder has also acquired another property on Littlebrook Road (at present a beautiful lot with many old trees) and plans to place upon it another $2+ million house, we can only hope that similar deforestation does not await yet another property.
The larger issue here is the need to rethink our zoning and building laws so that redevelopment will proceed in a balanced fashion, not only respecting the need for new building but also giving more than lip service to the quality of life, the integrity of neighborhoods and the preservation of their ecology. If we wish those values respected, it is clear that we cannot rely on impersonal market forces or the goodwill and conscience of developers.
Jim and Cynthia Moorhead
George DiFerdinando and Betsy Marshall
Clover Lane
Princeton
Wintress is tireless, prudent and effective
To the editor:
In a recent "Candidates Forum" (The Packet, Sept. 30), Karen Wintress wrote about the projects she has worked on and accomplishments made over the past four years. It is an impressive list, and hers is an impressive record.
Readers might have noticed that Karen didn’t say "I did this" and "I did that." The focus was on "we" on making clear that in the Township Committee form of local government, working as an effective team is critical to elected officials’ ability to make progress and get things done.
To make your mark on a township committee, you need to be a strong team player as well as an effective leader. Karen Wintress is both.
Every member of the Township Committee has his or her personal priorities and accepts assignments early in the year to serve as liaison to municipal boards and committees. Karen has been an energetic and influential member of the Environmental Commission, Economic Development Commission and Communi-cations Focus Group. She also was the catalyst for the township’s 2004 management audit, which has led to big improvements in the ways that municipal offices work with each other and share information, resulting in more efficient operations and better customer service.
As Karen points out, the big issues that Montgomery grapples with the immediate as well as the long-term challenges are all connected to each other: traffic, growth, taxes, water quality, NPDC. None can be addressed singly; all must be understood in context and with an appreciation for their complexity. Karen is exactly the kind of intelligent, determined, thorough and results-oriented person Montgomery needs to continue to move forward.
On the team or in the lead, Karen Wintress is tireless, prudent and effective. She should be re-elected to the Montgomery Township Committee.
Jane Archer
York Drive
Montgomery
Sherman will make a difference in community
To the editor:
I have had the pleasure of knowing Ed Sherman for a long time. He is the Republican candidate for Montgomery Township Committee. He is dedicated to donating his retirement time to make a difference in our community. He is a strong leader with a vision for Montgomery Township’s future.
At this time of rising property taxes and continued development, we need Ed’s business experience to balance our open spaces, residence life and businesses. Our home is our most valuable asset and we need officials who understand fiscal responsibility. We love living here and we don’t want high taxes to force us to leave or make it difficult for us to sell our home.
Ed’s business experience, military leadership and civic attitude are the traits that Montgomery Township needs.
Kathy Ventresca
Coldstream Court
Montgomery
Candidate makes hay out of natural disaster
To the editor:
We were troubled by a letter to the editor about Ed Sherman, a candidate for Montgomery Township Committee, who seems to be working to leverage his efforts on behalf of Katrina victims into political points.
Both candidates are engaged in the township-wide effort to assist the people and communities down South who were devastated by the hurricane. One candidate, Mr. Sherman, has his work turned into a spectacle. The other candidate does not.
Mr. Sherman’s motives may be pure, and we hope and expect his military skills are being put to good use in Louisiana. But we do not see "leadership" or "vision" (much less appropriate "experience") in a Katrina fundraiser car wash featuring bikini-clad teens beckoning drivers from Route 206 into a campaign headquarters. And we have to question the judgment of a candidate for political office who allows his campaign to make hay out of a natural disaster.
Lisa & Iggy Chrustic
York Drive
Montgomery
Olsen ‘hams’ it up from outer space
To the editor:
I just wanted to congratulate Rachel Silverman on her front-page article about the conversation from space via amateur ("ham") radio between astronaut/tourist Greg Olsen and Princeton High School students (The Packet, Oct. 7).
How many readers know that Mr. Olsen added "ham radio operator" to his resume recently? He joined the ranks of the many licensed amateur radio operators, numbering a few million worldwide, who enjoy communicating via radio, amateur TV, orbiting satellites built by hams, and other interesting modes. The Federal Communications Commission granted Mr. Olsen the call sign "KC2ONX" after he passed a standard test of his knowledge of basic electronics, operating practices and international communications regulations.
Most readers have heard of the wonderful work hams do in natural and man-made emergencies. Recently, the media have been flooded with news about radio amateurs assisting in the hurricane-devastated regions of the U.S. As we like to say, "When all else fails, ham radio gets through."
People who are interested in helping in emergencies, talking to astronauts, learning about electronics or just having fun are encouraged to get an amateur radio license. To help them do this, local hams will be running a free license-preparation class on Thursday evenings beginning Oct. 13 at the Mercer County OEM at the Dempster Fire Service Center in Lawrence. For more information and to register, please contact Don Wright at (609) 737-1723 or at [email protected].
The National Association for Amateur Radio, the ARRL, at www.arrl.org has lots of free information on how to become a ham. I invite all to check out their excellent Web site.
Gerry Jurrens
Laurel Avenue
Franklin Township
‘Building on Faith’ turns thought to action
To the editor:
As mentioned in your article about the joint 250th anniversary celebration of the Witherspoon Street and the Nassau Presbyterian churches (The Packet, Sept. 30), these churches are sponsoring houses for the "Building on Faith" Campaign of Habitat for Humanity of Trenton.
As a unique way of expediting the building of these homes, a crew gathered last Friday and Saturday to "pre-build" the walls in Memorial Hall at Blawenburg Reformed Church. We would like to thank the Opdyke Lumber Co., which graciously donated the lumber at cost (a substantial savings of over 40 percent) and transported these walls on one of its flatbeds to the site in Trenton. The sponsoring Presbyterian churches will come together there with the future sweat-equity owners to complete the houses.
Thanks to my crew of able builders and other volunteers from Blawenburg Reformed Church, St. James Church, St. Charles Borromeo and St. Andrew’s who completed prefabricating all the walls for this duplex home in 12 hours.
Leonard R. Hunt
L.R. Hunt & Associates, Builders
Committee Member
Habitat for Humanity of Trenton
"Building on Faith" Campaign
Otter Creek Road
Montgomery
America deserves better than rampant cronyism
To the editor:
Just the latest example of President Bush nominating a crony is Harriet Miers for Supreme Court justice. The president has said she is the best-qualified person in the country for this job. George Will, the conservative columnist, wrote recently that if 100 legal experts had each recommended 100 top candidates for the Court, Ms. Miers’ name would not have appeared on any of the lists.
Given her lack of experience, does anyone doubt that she was nominated because of her close connection to the president? She has been his lawyer, his confidante and his adviser. We should want a judiciary with independence from the president. Ms. Miers apparently once called the president "the most brilliant man I know." Ms. Miers is an evangelical Christian who attends a pro-life church and she is against abortion.
Michael Brown, former head of FEMA, was "well-qualified" for his job because of his prior experience as head of the Arabian Horse Association and we all know how well that worked out.
A 33-year-old doctor turned stock analyst, Scott Gottlieb, is number-two man at the Food and Drug Administration. He has no laboratory experience but has ties to several drug companies.
Julie Meyers, a 36-year-old White House aide, has been nominated to head immigration and customs, one of the last lines of defense against terrorism. She has no experience in the field but is married to the chief of staff to the Homeland Security secretary and is the niece of outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Meyers.
An ex-lobbyist, David Safavian, was chief of staff at the General Services Administration. His only experience in that line was as an intern and he was recently arrested on suspicion of doing favors for his former lobbying partner, Jack Abramahoff, in return for a golf tour to Scotland, where he was accompanied by Tom DeLay.
No president has gone so far in placing unqualified political hacks in high-profile positions. Surely we deserve better from Mr. Bush than this rampant cronyism and decadence we now see throughout his administration.
Ronald A. LeMahieu
Sequoia Court
West Windsor