Our New Jersey forests are not ‘in need of redevelopment’

How does one "redevelop" a forest? The answer to this question could determine the fate of 718 acres of forest in Pemberton Township. The Pole Branch Forest, and many other undeveloped tracts of land in South Jersey, are threatened by a law originally meant to transform "blighted" areas. We need a legislative fix for the loopholes that are causing undeveloped forests and fields in South Jersey to be "redeveloped" into sprawling subdivisions, strip malls and warehouses. Until this happens, we need your help to save wild places like the Pole Branch Forest that are on the proverbial chopping block.

The problem with redevelopment lies in the subjective and overly expansive definition of an "area in need of redevelopment." It is understandable that builders are not eager to take on properties with pre-existing conditions, known as "brownfields." The need to demolish buildings and potentially remediate pollution are costly prerequisites to building something new. Developers would much rather work with a clean slate of land that has never been developed before. The municipal land use law attempts to remedy this imbalance with special provisions for redevelopment, allowing towns to work outside of the usual planning/zoning process to provide incentives that encourage developers to take on less desirable properties.

In a case of responsible redevelopment, the surrounding community experiences two-fold benefits: a derelict property is removed from the neighborhood, and replaced with something new that better fits the needs of the community. However, the opposite is true when undeveloped land is coerced into the redevelopment process: the community loses natural, open space, which is often replaced by undesirable development, like warehouses.

This is more than just semantics. Many of these lots could be developed the old-fashioned way: by seeking approval from the municipal planning and/or zoning board for standard development. Labeling a project as redevelopment unlocks a suite of perks, allowing developers to get sweetheart deals from municipalities, including tax breaks and a simplified approval process. Redevelopment agreements are allowed to violate township master plans–all it takes is a majority vote by town officials. Towns are allowed to skip the usual public bidding process and sell directly to a redeveloper, bypassing basic tenets of fair and open public business dealings. This is a critical component of the plan to ‘redevelop’ the Pole Branch Forest.

Redevelopment ordinances often fly under the radar and are subject to less public scrutiny. They do not carry the usual requirement to notify all neighbors within 200 feet of the property in question. The result is that residents are robbed of the opportunity to provide their input. Residents of Monroe Township, Gloucester County, learned this lesson the hard way in late 2022. When residents were finally notified that the forest in their backyards was going to be ‘redeveloped’ into a warehouse and townhouse community, they showed up to their planning board meeting in droves. Although many compelling testimonies were shared that evening in opposition to the plans, residents were told that it was too late. The town’s hands were tied by the redevelopment agreement that had been negotiated months earlier, during the height of the Delta wave of COVID-19, in poorly-attended meetings.

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There is hope that things will play out differently in Pemberton Township. There, 718 acres of undeveloped forest are proposed to become an age-restricted housing community with up to 575 dwelling units. The plans show a neighborhood that is contorted to take up every bit of this narrow forest corridor between protected wetlands. This forest is contiguous with the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, making this land even more important for the threatened and endangered species that have been known to live there. The Pinelands Commission continues to press the town on these environmental concerns, but is unlikely to overturn the entire project.

Residents are vehemently opposed to losing this vast forest to sprawling subdivisions. A subset of the town councilmen are already on their side. We need just one more vote to repeal the redevelopment agreement. We are asking all supporters of the Pinelands — whether they be Pemberton Township residents or not—to join our campaign to save the Pole Branch Forest. Learn more on our website, pinelandsalliance.org/pole-branch-forest/, sign the petition, and show up to the next Pemberton Township town council meeting on Oct. 4. Let’s tell town leaders that our forests are not ‘in need of redevelopment’.

Heidi Yeh, Ph.D., is policy director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ forests are not ‘in need of redevelopment’