An open letter on Sprawl from Ringwood's Mayor
Ringwood's Mayor recently sent a
letter on Sprawl to four New Jersey environmental groups, including
Skylands CLEAN. Three of the four groups, NJ Sierra Club,
Skylands CLEAN, and Passaic River Coalition, publicly opposed the hasty
approval of a 39-home development
called West Brook Hills II proposed for an environmentally sensitive
parcel
off of Burnt Meadow Road. The tract contains over 50 acres of
exceptional resource wetlands and steep slopes in excess of 30% in many
areas. The developer
would be required to build roads through wetlands, and blast steep
slopes
to construct roads.
The Planning Board took the developer's word for it when he stated that
no permits were needed for building near the extensive wetlands and
streams on site. (We have since learned that stream encroachment and
freshwater
wetlands permits are needed). The development will also impact the West
Brook, a trout-production stream running along the edge of the property
and draining into the Wanaque Reservoir.
The letter below was distributed to the press along with a companion
press release stating that the West Brook Hills development could be a
test case for Governor McGreevey's anti-sprawl initiatives. We
feel that Mayor Holt's position is an attempt to divert attention from
the approval, and to justify this inappropriate development.
We disagree with the opinions put forth in the letter below. Open space
offers many tax benefits over development. To read CLEAN's response,
click here.
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
Jerry L. Holt
(973) 962-7037
February 5, 2003
To: The
NJ Sierra Club, The Sierra Club, The Passaic River Coalition, NJPIRG,
and Skylands CLEAN
Dear Friends,
The time has come when we all need to address the issue of open space
preservation in a more reasonable, balanced and fair-minded manner. The
anti-sprawl, open space preservation goals laid out by Governor
McGreevey
are laudable. But they are also extremist, shortsighted and patently
unfair
to the residents of Highlands communities. Rather than develop a
reasonable
plan, the Governor unfortunately sought to vilify developers and place
added
pressure on local governments by his bombastic approach to sprawl. We
must
move beyond the rhetoric of the current open space debate that is
shamefully
characterized by harsh rhetoric, vilification and uncompromising
self-righteousness.
This should not be a battle of wills; it should be a cooperative effort
that
creates winners all around.
Let’s start with the realization that we all want open space.
That’s
a desirable public policy goal. The question is how to share the burden
of achieving that goal. Currently, The State’s open space policy
objectives
fall disproportionately on the shoulders of taxpayers in Ringwood, West
Milford,
Sparta and other Highlands communities. Our Highland residents pay
dearly
for the policies that help create clean water, wildlife habitat,
recreation
and open space for millions of other people to enjoy. We are taxed not
only
to purchase the property, but we pay enormously high property taxes to
support
the land that so many others enjoy.
There is no other statewide public policy objective that is implemented
so unfairly or unevenly. The goal of improving urban education, for
example, is supported by taxes on all residents, which are then poured
into our cities. State taxes support shore replenishment to protect
tourism. Why is open space preservation treated so differently?
Part of the problem no doubt lies with our State’s regressive property
tax system. That tax system never seems to be factored into open space
policy, and it should. As environmentalists your outlook is more
narrowly focused. I encourage you to look beyond trees, streams and
meadows. You have to look at people and taxes and you must recognize
that municipal governments and local schools are financed by local
property taxes. If you continue to pursue a policy that ignores ratable
loss, you serve only to harm taxpayers and force tax increases that
make home ownership unaffordable for middle-income families.
Soon, only the extremely wealthy will be able to live in our Highlands
area. Is that the by-product of land preservation that you are aiming
for? I doubt it.
The only way to fairly implement an anti-sprawl strategy is to start by
recognizing the deficiencies inherent in our State’s tax system. The
State’s property tax paradigm won’t change any time soon – certainly
not in time
to allow us to protect the forests and fields that need protecting.
Therefore, we must work to implement a compensation system that
addresses our tax deficiencies by paying communities for taking taxable
property off the tax rolls and locking it away forever. In other words,
we need a perpetual municipal compensation system that makes up for the
loss of revenue producing land.
Until now, the environmental movement has been reluctant to address the
compensation issue. Maybe you are concerned that money that is needed
for compensation will be taken away from land purchase. Perhaps you
don’t feel that compensation is your issue. I submit it is your issue
and to pretend otherwise is to be proponents of irresponsible positions
that leave others to shoulder the burdens of your aims.
There is no room for myopic single-mindedness in pursuit of a policy
with so many public ramifications. I am therefore asking you, the
leaders of the environmental movement, to broaden your scope and help
develop a fairer, more comprehensive open space preservation plan – one
that not only limits sprawl, but also recognizes the economic realities
of land set asides in New
Jersey. I am asking for your participation in a public dialogue on ways
to
fund compensation for communities such as Ringwood, which is two-thirds
open
space and provides potable drinking water for 2 million people. I am
asking
you to use your influence with Governor McGreevey to take the bold step
of
recognizing the burden that Highlands property owners already pay for
State
objectives.
Without a compensation fund and without a change in the State’s tax
system, the next few years in New Jersey will embroil itself in a
pitched battle among municipalities, the State, environmentalists,
builders and trade unions over land preservation. No one wins in such a
battle. Millions in resources will continue to be wasted on lawsuits
and court proceedings. The economy will suffer and taxes will rise.
The alternative to that lose-lose scenario is compromise and
cooperation. I invite you to step back from your most ardent positions
and look at the bigger picture and recognize the struggle of elected
officials to balance many concerns, constituencies and points of view.
As a Mayor, I have to listen to mothers and fathers who want more parks
and playgrounds and libraries and good schools for their children. I
must address the concerns of senior citizens who are seeing incomes and
retirement dreams gobbled up by escalating property taxes. I have to
address the concerns of the business community that
invest in our towns and provide convenient services for residents. And
I
have to be concerned about development and open space.
You, as citizens of this State, must be similarly concerned about these
constituencies. It is no longer acceptable for environmentalists to
march into a community and place demands and ultimatums on officials
and residents, and then leave town without taking responsibility for
the impact of your
demands.
Again, I invite you to engage in a constructive effort to develop a
land preservation plan that is fair to the taxpayers, business and the
environment. I am sure that such a plan is achievable.
I eagerly await your response.
Jerry L. Holt
Mayor, Borough of Ringwood
email us at clean@skyclean.org