Boro has other options for affordable housing

The July 13 Hub article titled "Kalian plan meets affordable housing need" should be a clear "wake up" call to the residents of Little Silver that the proposed project requires a comprehensive re-examination.

A project of this density, 39 townhouses on 3 acres, is simply out of the character and scale of the borough. It will degrade our quality of life and does little to reduce our affordable housing requirement.

This is all about getting the Kalian townhouse plan approved under the guise of fulfilling our requirement for affordable housing. The hard facts are that this proposal actually requires an increase in the number of units for the borough's growth plan and the net result is that the borough's obligation for affordable housing has a reduction of only 2 units, from 32 to 30 units. Is a net reduction of two affordable housing units worth a 39 townhouse density?

The state has established the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) to ensure municipalities provide their fair share of affordable housing. This can be achieved in many environmentally friendly ways without dense development on open land. There are many options other than inclusionary zoning that a municipality may use to fulfill the requirements. However Mr. Copploa in his future plan only proposed the Kalian development and Mr. Leckstein presented this as the only option to prevent a "builder's remedy" or an unwanted commercial site. Why were not other options included such as using existing properties, converting existing commercial buildings to residential and rental units in a small mixed use development? These options were simply dismissed without thorough evaluation.

As of now, the council plans to introduce an ordinance to allow this development on Aug. 7. For the Kalian plan to move forward there must be a zoning change, a realistic stormwater plan and many variances for density, height, parking etc. It is not a done deal yet!

If you are a concerned citizen that feels this high-density project is inappropriate for the borough, let your officials know. Show up at the meeting.

The municipality has an obligation to provide COAH units and this requirement must be met under current law. However, this does not mean that the character of the borough has to change. Let's follow other municipalities like as Atlantic Highlands and Oceanport and not cave into the "mega" developers who are understandably in the business to maximize their profit. But they don't live in our community and will not have to live with the consequences, as we must.

Most of us are going to remain Little Silver residents and like our community of homes, yards and open space. We can retain this, but it means letting your elected officials know how you want this town to be developed, and that they have to be innovative and proactively explore the other options.

It may be more difficult to find a builder who wants to make a profit but is willing to preserve the character of the borough - but it's not impossible. Once open space is gone, it is gone forever, and once dense development starts, it doesn't stop.

Attend the Borough Council and Planning Board meetings this month so you can help preserve the character and shape the development of the community that you live in.

Rosemary Brewer

Little Silver