Is This Happening in Your Town ?
You feel like you can't do anything to stop the ever encroaching development.
You drive by a mall that you thought was a field less than a year ago.
Your town has been besieged by developers and lawyers.
Your town has been threatened by developers by Mt. Laurel lawsuits.
You're not alone. Thousands of New Jersey residents have learned that their voice actually matters. By becoming actively involved in government within their communities, folks have realized that they can Stop the tidal wave of development going on around them. This site is dedicated to these people. This site can enable you to effectively participate in the effort to control the development of rural New Jersey.
What can I do is the most asked question of one’s self and it all boils down to basics .Go to all the planning board and committee sessions in your township you can, if only at first to observe. Get to know all the members of the planning board and committee, find out what they are really focusing on. Find out if they really know what is going on and if they are only listening to their professionals advising them and not researching information for themselves to make informed decisions. Don’t be afraid to question all decisions made by them for only then do you keep them on their toes.Better yet volunteer for the township's environmental committee or the planning board when there are openings. If there are committees that need help ,then volunteer . The old excuse that I'm too busy,doesn't fly anymore we all are.These issues are to important not to involve yourself and getting all your neighbors involved .Be part of the solution not part of the problem.
Our times are so critical that it will take all of us to preserve what is left of our precious resource of open space and water supply and our /your quality of life.
Read your local newspaper (Hunterdon County Democrat) and follow the issues that affect the quality of life here. Even sometimes hidden in the public notices there are items that will affect you directly down the road and you may have had an influence, if you knew before those issues came before the planning board and by that time it is an uphill battle to fend off over development. Learn what all the procedures are for any proposed development and also learn what can and cannot be done and don’t let yourself be manipulated into believing that nothing can be done by some of the professionals and some of the officials who have double interests. There are so many regulations on the books right now that most development can be curtailed to a reasonable Smart Growth, as the state and every reasonable person are pressing for.
Most important, join the Concerned Citizens group in your township and if there isn't one start one!
Realize that all of this takes effort, but the alternative is horrendous. This is a huge battle for our precious resources land and water and it will take all of us to win. Remember it's not over until the shovels are in the ground and not even then!
Send your questions on where to get started to us and we will let you know of the organizations right in your township and individuals who are working very hard for the same cause. Remember if you came to this area two weeks ago or thirty years ago you came here for the same reason, because it’s a beautiful wonderful place to live and we have to fight to save it.