The paving over of New Jersey is getting worse since the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled backed in January that “municipalities must allow the development of affordable housing for poor and middle-class families whose needs were ignored for more than 16 years.”
Who do we have to blame for this? The Fair Share Housing Center, who think that just about every town/city/municipality does not provide enough housing stock for the poor and middle-class. Well I do agree there is a need for more housing near where the jobs are, but over building in the so called suburban areas of this state does nothing for the poor and very little for the middle-class.
The biggest flaw with their thinking and the court’s is that a large number of the jobs are in the cites. And getting from the suburban areas requires a car as there are few mass transit options available. For example if I wanted to go to New York City from where I live there are three choices. By bus, train or car and the you need to have a car to get to a bus stop or train station in either of the first two cases.
I can not walk to a bus stop from where I am and it is over three miles away. To get to Princeton Junction or Jersey Avenue train stations I have to drive and hope that I can find parking in the already overcrowded parking lot(s). Of course I could drive into the city and pay the high cost of tolls, wear and tear on my car and the inconvenience of finding a parking lot that does not charge me a ton of money for the privilege.
Colandus Francis, chairman of Fair Share Housing Center’s board said, “This ruling means that thousands of lower-income and minority families will be given the opportunity to live in safe neighborhoods, send their children to good schools and work at jobs where they live instead of traveling hours commuting each day.” Just because housing will be made available does not mean that it will be safe and it certainly does not guarantee that there will be jobs available nearby either. These ideas are a complete fallacy as many young people are now moving to the cities away from the suburbs because the jobs are there and they will be close to them.
This does not mean that there is no need for more housing for the poor and middle-class, it just is the fact that the court does not understand that many of the suburbs are being destroyed by builders who build large houses and a few token smaller ones. They cause the roadways to become clogged at rush hour and give no real relief to those who most deservedly need shelter.
Our Supreme Court does not understand that they can not dictate solutions without totally understanding the problems and what solutions will truly work and those that will not. Until the court is cut out of the solution and the state gets involved at a local level to help provide a more comprehensive solution that takes into account that we do not have a public transportation system that is worth anything, this vexing problem will have no true solution. For it is far more complicated than any of the parties involved realize.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
