While a recent NY Times report said that Governor McGreevey’s war on sprawl is "all but in tatters," articles in New Jersey newspapers have presented a more thoughtful perspective. Meanwhile, legislative races and public opinion indicate that the efforts to rein in New Jersey’s sprawl are at an early stage and will have legs for some time to come.

Sprawl remains a hotly debated topic in the NJ legislative races now drawing to their conclusions. According to the Star-Ledger, candidates in a Morris County state senate race are debating who is greener than the other, and offer rival visions for acquiring and protecting sensitive lands. Candidates’ views on sprawl and policies to contain it has also figured in a number of newspaper endorsements for legislative seats.

In Trenton, at least one smart growth bill is awaiting a legislative vote before the end of the year (see story next page). Two public questions – one to dedicate $150 million more for open-space preservation and another to designate a cleanup fund for brownfield redevelopment – are on the ballot this week. And although the McGreevey Administration has not achieved all of the goals it set forth in January, it has made some noteworthy strides. For example, it greatly reduced the amount of money the state DOT slated for building new roads during 2003, and has enacted strict drinking water quality rules to help control rural development.

The Star-Ledger concluded last week that McGreevey’s 2003 sprawl record was mixed, and that "all sides, particularly the Legislature, must work harder."

The fact is that fighting sprawl will remain a problem for decades to come in New Jersey. No one should expect big results in one year, or pro-sprawl interests to lay down and die. In the next year, the McGreevey Administration and the Legislature must continue to set the stage for this long-term process. Addressing traffic impacts in the municipal land use law, prohibiting new sprawl-highway projects like Route 92 and increasing funding for cash-strapped NJ Transit, among other things, are all realistic ways to do this. 2003 has been the launching point and is certainly far from the end of New Jersey’s sprawl war. 

. 

MTR back issues:

Go to index of all Mobilizing the Region back issues