Reader says Preservation implies a “status quo” do nothing again ,others disagree
By preserving, you are absolutely doing “something”. It is not an easy job either.
In 2011, Ridgewood was ranked #26, by Money Magazine, as one of the best places to live. This year the new list came out and we are not even on it. There are three towns in NJ that are, #16 Parsippany, with 800 acres of “preserved land”, #26 Franklin Lakes – 1/3 of which is farmland or recreation “preservation” and #27 Piscataway – rich in history and “preservations incuding….”. All three of these top NJ picks use the word “Preservation” in describing their towns. By treating preservation as if it “doing nothing” you are moving farther from what makes a place a great place to live.
I agree let’s start “preserving”. Of course you do understand that by reducing ratables your taxes will go up…..big time !! Perhaps you are willing to pay more tax for added ‘green space” but are your neighbors so inclined ? Also, have you seen the giant office complexes along Rt 10 in Parsippany or the huge industrial warehouses in Piscataway ? These complexes offset a lot of the local tax burden. Are you suggesting that Ridgewood allow construction of similar facilities within its borders to help offset taxes here ?
