Residents question how officials see U.F.'s future
Alexander wonders where warehouse opponents got information
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD - Residents brought up two of the most controversial issues in town at the last Township Committee meeting.

Residents at the Oct. 5 Township Committee meeting addressed the proposed warehouse development on Breza Road and a master plan amendment that would rezone the town for higher density housing in some areas and agriculture in others.

Former Mayor Robert Abrams asked who is giving Township Planner Mark Remsa "marching orders" to go forward with high density growth. At earlier meetings, Remsa said that the town would sacrifice 1,300 acres as a receiving area for high density development to save 10,000 acres of farmland. Abrams said such density would destroy the town.

Abrams referred to the township's current problems in creating a new middle school and said that Upper Freehold would not be a desirable place to live because of school overcrowding.

"Your decision [on rezoning] will make or break this town," Abrams told the governing body.

Abrams said Remsa is "over his head" with the kind of housing unit numbers he quoted for receiving areas. For example, Remsa had earlier stated that the 350-acre White Birch Farm on Route 526 could contain between 340 and 1,900 housing units as a receiving area.

Mayor Stephen Fleischacker said that Remsa is working at the direction of the Planning Board, and that the entire process has been open and public. He said that Remsa surveyed all the Planning Board members about their vision for the town and discussed the survey answers at board meetings.

According to Fleischacker, the objective is not to build out the township, but to maximize the preservation of large tracts of land to maintain agricultural viability. He said if the town cannot buy up all the land, then it must come up with a solution to keep large tracts.

Fleischacker said he is planning to come before the Township Committee to ask it to bond for the purchase of local farmland.

Fleischacker said Remsa's "crazy range of numbers" identified a handful of receiving areas and set priorities. He said that some landowners may not want their properties to be used as receiving areas.

Committeeman Sal Diecidue said the township is thinking of creating villages and hamlets, not something like the Washington Town Center, which has 15,000 residents.

Diecidue said the Planning Board has been discussing creating villages and hamlets since February 2005. He said this was the 13th time he had to point out the distinction between a town center and the sort of village center/hamlet that the township was planning.

Marc Covitz is a member of Communities United (CU), a grassroots group opposing the 1.8 million-square-foot Rockefeller Group warehouse complex proposed for Breza Road. The application is before the Planning Board. He gave the committee petitions signed by 745 township voters opposing the warehouse project.

Covitz said the Township Committee isn't doing anything to control growth. In Covitz's view, changing zoning from 3 acres to 6-10 acres with a workable cluster ordinance would cut density immensely.

Committeeman Stephen Alexander, who has publicly supported the warehouse issue, took issue when Covitz insinuated he met with the Rockefeller Group. Alexander noted that Diecidue made the motion for the warehouse project's General Development Plan (GDP) approval in 2004, which he seconded and was unanimously approved.

In December 2005, Alexander, Fleischacker and former Committeeman David Horsnall approved the Rockefeller Group's Developer's Agree-ment, which was signed by then-Mayor Diecidue. Alexander said that, to date, no committeemen had objected to the ordinance or the developer's agreement.

Alexander questioned the motivation of Covitz's comment. He said he had met with CU and thought he was up front and frank with the group. He said there was a lot of misinformation going around.

According to Alexander, some members of CU have stated that the warehouses would require the fire company to purchase a ladder truck to service them. Alexander said he had spoken with Hope Fire Company Chief Brad Carter, who told him such a truck is already needed because of the setbacks and size of some of the new houses in town. Alexander added that Carter told him that the Farmers National Bank fire in Allentown in 2004 required two bucket trucks to douse the fire.

Carter could not be reached for comment.

Alexander also questioned the crime statistics CU has publicized about warehouses. Upper Freehold does not have its own police force, but relies on the New Jersey State Police for services.

Alexander said he asked CU representatives to show him any reports indicating a town with 6,000 residents and 1.8 million feet of warehouse space would need a police force. According to Alexander, the group replied that all municipalities with warehouses already had a police force before the warehouses went in.

Alexander said he wasn't fooled that there would be a certain element of crime with warehouses, but said there is a certain element of crime with residential development as well. As an example, he said that according to the New Jersey Uniform Crime Index, Princeton Borough, a town with high property values, a good school system and a major university, has three times the crime rate of Washington Township. Washington Township has warehouses, while Princeton Borough does not, he said.

CU has also cited South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County, which has warehouses, as an example of what may happen to Upper Freehold. Alexander said that South Brunswick grew from a population of 25,798 in 1990 to 37,734 in 2000, according to information on the that town's Web site. He said that the town's equalized tax rate falls in the middle of the municipalities in Middlesex County.

"Did the warehouses bring high taxes or did growth bring high taxes?" he asked.

Alexander said that Upper Freehold's property tax burden now rests almost entirely on residents, as there are few businesses in the town.

Alexander said that the warehouse issue is a Planning Board process. He pointed out that he voted against this year's Planning Board appointments, "so I don't know why you'd think they'd listen to me."

Fleischacker said he would meet with both Covitz and Abrams to discuss zoning issues.