By Antoinette Rinehart, NPCCR Co-Chair
Barbara Habeeb and I attended a Sept. 13 North Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission meeting at which George Chidley, of the NJ Historic Preservation Office, was present to provide Continuing Education Units to the commission members by answering/educating them as to questions they have in conducting their duties as commission members. (See Footnote 1, below)
It was a really interesting and informative meeting. I recommend that every North Plainfield resident who has an interest in the history of our town attend at least one of these meetings. And if you have teenagers, bring them along to experience how things work and thus begin their education in the governmental process.
The purpose of the meeting was to clarify the handling of problems and to propose additions to the current Historic Preservation ordinance (Borough Code Chapter 22-122).
In some instances, the committee members did not realize their point of contention was already covered by the existing ordinance but simply not enforced.
Bottom line for the two-hour session was that while ordinances exist, they are not being enforced. And this is the crux of many of our Borough’s problems. I will not bore you with these technical details.
The most important thing I learned is that EVERYTHING STEMS FROM THE MASTER PLAN. Our North Plainfield Master Plan.
New Jersey state law requires that Master Plans be updated at least every six years.
As Katherine Watt has written previously, there was an excellent comprehensive Master Plan drafted and approved in 1974. Minor revisions were done in 1975, 1982, 1988 and 1996, so up to that point, the 1974 Master Plan was still a very useful document that could have been effective in shaping the Borough’s development and open space in balanced ways.
However, in 2002, all the data-based material from the past thirty years was scrapped for a vague entirely new Master Plan that had minimal community input and provided a measure of legal support for the Villa Maria condo project.
Had our current government representatives had the foresight to update our plan properly in 2002, or up to this point in 2008, we would not be facing today the destruction of our important historical site known as the Villa Maria.
The Villa Maria is the oldest medical facility in Central Jersey. It is the site of New Jersey’s Champion White Pine, designated as such by New Jersey’s Department of Forestry. This means it is the very best specimen of its kind in our state.
Something to be proud of.
Mr. Chidlley instructed us in the filing of documents and how we can accomplish the Historical Site designation for our site and how we can qualify for grants that will provide funds for this work. We learned there are generally eight or nine applications submitted and a community who does not have the site of choice (Villa Maria) included in their town’s Master Plan is actually moved to the head of the list of considerations because the urgency and need for action is recognized and given precedence.
This is great news for the many citizens who have been petitioning their local representatives for action these past six or seven years!
Also, the property owner cannot deter this action. He need not concur with the choice of the citizens.
Our Mayor and Council who represent us had this information available to them years ago and did not share it with the citizens of North Plainfield.
I learned that everything stems from the Master Plan, but quite conveniently the Mayor, Council and Planning Board arranged, probably with significant input from the developers, to create a 2002 Master Plan specifically designed to facilitate development against the wishes of the people.
Communities are required, by statute, to update the Master Plan every six years – 2008 is the year the revision is supposed to happen and again, the Planning Board under the leadership of Chair Tom Fagan (also Chair of the North Plainfield Democratic Committee) has dropped the ball and is either doing nothing about the revisions, or is drafting revisions behind closed doors without community participation, despite NPCCR urging to begin the Master Plan process as early as January 11, 2008, shortly after Katherine had begun collecting, reviewing and posting the previous Master Plans. (See Footnotes 2 and 3, below).
Why no action? Why no cooperation with our citizens who made their choices apparent through public sessions, appearances at Council Meetings, and even filed lasuits to inform the local governing body of the action we see as necessary to the quality of life in our town?
Upon hearing this, Councilman Robert Hitchcock has now volunteered to inquire of the new owner of this site, on behalf of the Borough, if he would consider selling this site to the Borough to enable us to accomplish the goal we have been pursuing these many years. (See Footnote 4, below).
Hellooooo!
Have our representatives not heard us for the past six years, when Villa Maria advocates have packed the Council chambers and West End School protesting this site development?
And why did they proceed with Planning Board considerations of the Watchung Hills in North Plainfield condominiums even before the property’s sale was consummated? The development application was approved by the Planning Board in August 2007 (later held up by further lawsuits); Robert McNerney didn’t buy the land until March 31, 2008, deed recorded April 2, 2008.
Were they acting in the best interests of our citizens when they rushed to have our remaining green space approved for condos, and now, the alternative of densely positioned single family homes sited on minimum lot specifications?
Whose interests are they protecting?
Our questions are not criticisms.
They are simply questions that should be answered –fully answered. Why do they choose to treat us like children, responding “Because I said so!”
Since that is the case they must also deal with the constant cry of the populace, “Why?” “Why, Mommy, why?”
Editor’s Notes:
Footnote 1 – The Historic Preservation Commission is, in fact, a Commission, with enforcement powers, unlike the Shade Tree Advisory Board, which many residents would like to see converted to Commission status so as to have enforcement powers. On the other hand, even with enforcement powers, the Historic Commission has difficulty effectively implementing the provisions of the Historic Preservation ordinance. That old enforcement theme…
FN 2 – Master Plan Fact Sheet is available at the Fact Sheet Page.
FN 3 – Borough Code Ordinance 22-35:
The Council shall, at least every six (6) years, provide for a general re-examination of the Master Plan and this Development Chapter by the Planning Board which shall prepare a report on the findings of such re-examination a copy of which shall be sent to the County Planning Board and the municipal clerks of each adjoining municipality. The six (6) year period shall commence with the adoption or termination of the last general re-examination of such plan and regulations…
The 2002 Master Plan is dated October 20, 2002. So maybe Mr. Fagan is waiting until October 20, 2008, to announce the Planning Board’s plans for the Master Plan review. However, the ordinance states “at least” every six years. It doesn’t bar the Council and Planning Board from commencing reviews less than six years from the previous Master Plan.
FN 4 – Barbara Habeeb does not remember Mr. Hitchcock saying this. Ms. Habeeb heard Mr. Hitchcock agree to begin the process of seeking bids from professional planners to draft a historic preservation section for the Borough’s Master Plan update. Barbara writes:
It was my understanding that Hitchcock was going to be responsible to find 3 planners that must bid on doing the historic section of the master plan. He said “don’t worry I’ll take care of it” I believe he was referring to a sub-committee to help with input into the master plan. Maybe I misunderstood.
Barbara’s overall take on the meeting will be posted next.
Clarification from other participants, including Mr. Hitchcock himself, would be most welcome.
1 response so far ↓
GimmeABreak // September 15, 2008 at 1:11 pm |
“Upon hearing this, Councilman Robert Hitchcock has now volunteered to inquire of the new owner of this site, on behalf of the Borough, if he would consider selling this site to the Borough to enable us to accomplish the goal we have been pursuing these many years.
Hellooooo!
Have our representatives not heard us for the past six years, when Villa Maria advocates have packed the Council chambers and West End School protesting this site development?”
Of course they have. But now, there’s an election in less than two months, and some people are facing up to the reality that, for the first time in ages, they might get their butts kicked out. Nothing like that to open up some ears and light a fire under some butts….