Among many of New Jersey's unique attributes is the moniker "most densely populated state in the nation." Anyone who drives around the state, whether it is the Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike, or Main Street in suburban and rural municipalities knows that congestion, particularly during rush hour, is reaching crisis proportions. Try getting through Red Bank between the hours of 4 pm and 6 pm and you will see a microcosm of what is happening all over New Jersey.
Overdevelopment is fast becoming the number one issue among New Jerseyans. Nothing is more demoralizing to a resident than to see a wooded site clear cut, or a former piece of agricultural land replaced with a massive development, changing the character of the area virtually overnight. Projects on private property that conform to local zoning ordinances are perfectly legal and difficult stop. However, density - particularly when it comes to residential developments is something where latitude is certainly within reach.
One of the main drivers of overdevelopment in New Jersey isthe massive housing quotas handed down to many municipalities throughout the state. These are the outgrowths of the infamous 1975 Mt. Laurel decision, which originally sought to simply end exclusionary zoning, but instead, has morphed into quotas that if fully implemented would devastate the environment and radically change the character of many of our towns forever.
Ironically, not every municipality is the recipient of state housing quotas. Newark, Trenton, Camden, Paterson are among those who do not have forced development handed down from the state of New Jersey. This is especially perplexing since those cities have, or are near public transportation, existing infrastructure and endless Areas in Need of Redevelopment (ARE) and are typically desperate for the sort of economic activity that these developments would bring.
The most recent fourth round housing quota numbers are staggering. Some examples from Legislative District 13 include: Monmouth Beach 47, Sea Bright 46, and Union Beach 45. Using the affordable housing rules that every fifth unit be a deed restricted affordable unit, the total number for each municipality would be a mind blowing 235, 230, and 225 new housing units respectively, for each town to satisfy the quota handed down by the State. Each of the prior towns are less than two miles in total land area, and have significant ocean frontage, and in the case of Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, riverine frontage also. This means chronic issues with flooding and other environmental limitations which will be exacerbated by huge housing quotas. To comply with these numbers is impossible without disastrous environmental consequences.
Aside from physical strains on infrastructure, overdevelopment also has serious fiscal ramifications for taxpayers. The cost to expand or upgrade infrastructure such as roads, sewer lines, bridges and so on, along with increased demands on schools and government services resulting from unchecked development is enormous. One study found that for every dollar brought in by development, it costs $1.27 in government expenditure to maintain infrastructure and services. This debunks the commonly held belief that more development helps keep property taxes lower.