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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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Our town of Atlantic Highlands has a choice to make: Do we want to preserve a precious piece of waterfront property as green acres, or do we want to allow high-density condos to be built on the site? The property in question is the Guiliani tract, which is bordered by the waters of the bay, Avenue A, Bay Avenue, and the ferry parking lot west of First Avenue. The developer Hovnanian, who has a purchase contract with the Guilianis, has proposed to put in an extremely dense condo development of 80 units, with plans to build on both sides of Many Mind Creek and the natural estuary and saltmarsh located there. Concerned citizens are circulating a petition against the proposed development of this land. Petitions are being taken door to door by local volunteers, and may also be signed at many local businesses on 1 st Ave., including:
In addition to opposing the condo development, the petition urges the Mayor and Council to act decisively on the acquisition of the Guiliani property, and to use all available means to achieve the acquisition. Once purchased by the Borough, the land would be used for parks and recreation; conservation of beach, dunes, saltmarsh, and fish habitat; control of flooding and water quality; and waterfront parking. Take a look at our state’s coastal areas. Condos and development abound, while natural habitat and open spaces are disappearing at an alarming pace. If you look at the long-term picture of development in our town, which option is more likely to enhance our quality of life? What would be better for our town, condos or open space? You may be surprised to know that purchasing the Guiliani property for open space will NOT cause our taxes to be raised, according to best estimates by Borough officials. Funding for the purchase has already been pledged, from such sources as the Port Authority, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Monmouth County, the Borough’s Harbor Commission, and the NJ Green Acres program. Contrary to popular belief, the Borough will NOT lose significant tax revenue by converting the use of this land to green acres. At present, the Borough’s one-quarter share of the tax income from the property is about $8,000 a year; the rest of the tax is paid to the county and the school system. Even if the multi-family residential development were to be allowed, the tax money brought in would be offset by the increased costs of services to residents, not to mention the unwritten costs of traffic congestion, loss of habitat, increased stormwater runoff, burden to our already strained water supply and sewage capacity, and loss of open space and recreation opportunities.In addition to improving quality of life, numerous studies have shown that parks and open space actually increase the value of properties in the vicinity. For further information on this topic, see Crompton’s “The Impact of Parks on Property Values”, Journal of Leisure Research, vol. 33, 2001, and Hamilton & Quayle’s “Corridors of Green and Gold: Impact of Riparian Suburban Greenways on Property Values”, Journal of Business Administration and Policy Analysis, 1999. In order to acquire the Guiliani property, the Borough may have to resort to the use of eminent domain. Borough talks with the Guilianis going back several years were unable to get to an agreed price before the negotiations were blocked in early March 2006. If the talks could resume, as the Borough wants, negotiations would continue toward an agreed price. If the talks are not allowed to continue, the Borough has the option to exercise eminent domain. Many of us tend to shudder at the thought of eminent domain, largely in part to the abuses going on at this very moment in Long Branch. However, using eminent domain in this case, to purchase property for open space and public use, is not an abuse of the system. No homeowner will be evicted; there are no houses on this land. The property owners won’t be forced to sell: they already have a sale-option contract with Hovnanian. Acquisition would be for public use, not private profit. The purchase price would be set by a fair, objective, judicial process that is established under NJ State law. The NJ State Legislature and Superior Court agree that land acquisition for open space/recreation is a public use for which towns can use eminent domain.Many people are concerned about toxic contamination on the Guiliani property. Once purchase of the property is complete, any contamination on the site, including coal tar from NJ Natural Gas and pollution from boatyard use (paints, petroleum, etc.) will be tested for and cleaned up by New Jersey Natural Gas, at no cost to the Borough. This is required under a settlement agreement between the Borough and NJNG that is monitored by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. The beach at the Guiliani property is a priceless treasure, where children play and adults unwind, where dogs are walked and booted fishermen wade in the water. Also in this bay, shore birds feed, horseshoe crabs lay their eggs, and many fish and water critters swim. According to Greg Remaud of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, "The Giuliani property at the mouth of Many Minds Creek is listed as a priority acquisition and restoration site by the Bi-State Harbor Estuary Program because of its significant habitat value that supports a variety of bird species and marine life. The area is used heavily by waterfowl including Brant Greater scaup, Old squaw, Common Goldeneye, and Bufflehead as well as shorebirds including several species of terns.” Continues Remaud, “No town along the Bayshore has done a better job of municipal land management - balancing well-planned development based on a highly livable downtown, with strategic open space preservation - than Atlantic Highlands. It is a great shame that a large developer with huge resources is coming in and buying options on properties and pressuring a small well-run community to develop in areas that it does not want to and that are ecologically sensitive." We love this beach and wetland. Building on this site would be a travesty. Undeveloped water-front property is a treasure to protect, a rarity in this day and age. Please help us to save this piece of land for generations to come. Townspeople, tourists and the natural environment will benefit greatly if you do so.
Laura DuBois
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