http://www.robbinsville-twp.org/TC_agenda_05-22-08.pdf .
On the agenda is the revised Highway Commercial ordinance, which removes the parcel on Meadowbrook Road from the proposed (HC) Highway Commercial Zone. As a collective group we were able to get our concerns heard, and I thank everyone for their involvement. I still plan on attending the meeting to ensure everything goes as discussed, and possibly presenting the information below. The fight to protect the safety and well being of our neighborhood is far from over, as the property does not have access to Route 130 and its only ingress/egress is through a residential area. Our next fight will be when the developer submits a site plan. When a site plan is submitted by the developer, we will then really need a big turn out.
I have been researching the impact of such a commercial development on the surrounding residential community and found some additional disturbing information. The following is a quote from a study done in NJ by a Rutgers, ph.D.One of the premises put forth by the commercial developers is that their property can be dropped into a community without a ripple. Numerous studies have shown that this is not the case. When the open space near residential properties is transformed into commercial or industrial property, the value drops by as much as 30 to 50 percent. In the short term, this means that the property owner is being penalized by continuing to pay the same rate for a property that has decreased significantly in value. In the long term, with property sales and reassessments, the taxes will be adjusted lower to reflect the decline in property value and the overall tax base of the municipality will fall accordingly.”
I have applied this to our neighborhood using a very conservative 15% reduction in property value and a median tax assessed home value of $550,000; the result would yield an $82,000 drop in value per home, and a total of $74,250 yearly reduction of taxes to the town for the 45 homes in the immediate area. If an Industrial Flex-Space facility were built on the property it would probably only generate less than $50,000 in taxes to the town, making an almost $25,000 negative impact on the towns tax base. As you can see by the chart below, a larger percentage drop in home values would make the negative impact on the townships tax base even greater. If correct, this information makes the argument for either preserving the property, or re-zoning the property to something other than its current OC-1 zoning.
Best regards,
George Vardakis
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Median Tax Assessed Value Per Home |
550,000 |
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Tax Rate 2008 |
2% |
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Homes In Immediate Surrounding Area |
45 |
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* |
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% Reduction in Home Value |
15% |
20% |
25% |
30% |
35% |
40% |
45% |
50% |
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$ Reduction Per Home Value |
82,500 |
110,000 |
137,500 |
165,000 |
192,500 |
220,000 |
247,500 |
275,000 |
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$ Reduction Property Taxes - Per Home |
1,650 |
2,200 |
2,750 |
3,300 |
3,850 |
4,400 |
4,950 |
5,500 |
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Yearly Reduction In Property Taxes |
$74,250 |
$99,000 |
$123,750 |
$148,500 |
$173,250 |
$198,000 |
$222,750 |
$247,500 |
**The revised hearing date for re-zoning on Rte 130 has
been postponed until May 8, 2008 7:30PM at the Senior Center.** We are forwarding a message from a Robbinsville Community
Group that are concerned about the development of Meadowbrook Road for
commercial property. It is our understanding from the community group that
it would increase heavy truck traffic on Meadowbrook Road. Truck traffic has
the potential to be 24 hrs a day with the destination of a new commercial
Warehouses. It would affect the homeowners who live on Tindal and
Meadowbrook Roads. This is a quality of life issue for all the residents in
the area. Additionally, it has the potential to affect property values of
the homeowners.
Robbinsville residents came out in large numbers to express
their views on the development of expanded Warehouse facilities along
Meadowbrook Road. The many individuals that attended the last council
meeting demonstrated the residents concerns on this issue.
Some of the questions that should be asked if they ever
decide to develop Meadowbrook Road for use for commercial purposes.
1. The school bus route from the surrounding communities goes
down Meadowbrook Road. Would increase truck traffic increase the risk of an
accident with one of our school buses?
2. Meadowbrook road is the main access of various residential
communities. Would increase truck and employee traffic 24 hr. a day increase
congestion on Meadowbrook Road? Potential increased risks of accidents
between trucks and residents?
3. Would building more Warehouses with the increased traffic
affect the property taxes of the residents along Meadowbrook and Tindal
Roads? If you are concerned about the development of Commercial
Property on Meadowbrook Road please come out to the
Township Council meeting on May 8th. Let your voice
be heard on this subject. The following
statement/web site links are not the opinion of the Washington Township
Civic Association, INC. It states the facts of the current Meadowbrook
Road situation by a group of concerned residents. ****************** Town Council Meeting Thursday, April 24th Senior Center 7:30pm I just wanted to update everyone
on this issue. The Highway Commercial Zoning issue is being continued at
this Thursday's (April 24th) Town Council Meeting. I would
urge everyone to attend this meeting. The administration had told us
that they would either remove the property from the Highway Commercial
proposal or revise the language to alleviate our concerns regarding the
“Flex Space Property”; however they appear to be back-pedaling on their
agreement. Please understand that if they proceed in including this
property in the proposed Highway Commercial zone it will allow the developer
the right to put up as many warehouse buildings on Meadowbrook Road as they
want. This will tie the hands of the zoning board and not allow them to
place necessary restraints on the developer to alleviate the negative impact
on our neighborhood. Many agree that we need commercial ratables on Route
130; however there is no logical reason that this property should be
included in the Highway Commercial zone as its only access is through a
residential area. Please attend this meeting and ask our Town Council to
vote no on the inclusion of this property in the Highway Commercial Zone. If you have a moment please read
this Trenton Times article;
http://www.nj.com/timesoftrenton/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1206677212315990.xml&coll=5 Please visit the website
www.wiseratables.com to see a map of the parcel of property in question. Thanks for your continued
interest and support in this matter, George Vardakis
If you have any questions or are interested in contacting the
committee head, please
email us
and someone will contact you shortly.