The Smart Growth plan introduced by the Township Committee in 2009, is expected to be voted on by the Township’s Planning Board this evening, officials say.
The plan, which will govern development and more, was initially to be submitted to the State for action, but no action was taken and the plan just sat uncompleted.
This evening, the Planning Board plans to vote the plan, which is expected to serve as the blueprints for the town for the next 20 years.
Wow, a town that is already as congested and traffic snarled as Boro Park is about to approve a growth plan!!!
Is part of this growth plan to demolish some homes or build/widen new roads or is this Smart Growth plan like the Obama presidency, just managing Lakewood’s decay?
P.S. TLS what time is this meeting?
Sounds about 20 years to late.
sorry that horse has left the barn
Smart Growth Plan?? You’ve got to be kidding!
I hope they vote it DOWN!! Perhaps we should first improve the current infrastructure to accomadate growth! The traffic is already a disaster- now you want to plan more growth??
get rid of all the drug dealers in town and there will be tonz of room…
Maybe a smart plan would be to stop all the building,not look and say an empty lot better put something on it. Get some business back in the industry park instead of school. Schools there don’t bring tax revenue
REAL professionals need to do the following:
1. assess their previous mistakes
2. ONLY THEN should they plan the future.
the results should be published & debated.
If not for the cemeterys there would’nt be any open land left…thank god for that..!!!
Some clarity here: This plan and vote is NOT whether or not to allow growth. The growth in town and resulting development are a reality whether they vote this in or not… approving a “Smart Growth” plan ensures that at least the development is being done in a more logical, planned, and directed manner, encouraging the inevitable growth to go to areas more suitable for this, and away from more congested areas. If you want this to fail, all you are doing is asking for more of the haphazard, ‘each to his own’ type of growth. Also I’m pretty sure I am correct that the Town becomes eligible for various state aid grants, funds, etc. if it’s a “Smart Growth” town.
Well said clarity. This plan is not “growth or no growth.” The Smart Growth Plan takes a hard look at the current development of the town and the development trends the town has been experiencing over the last several years. The Plan then lays out some guidelines and organizational tools to highlight what, where, and how development could be guided in order to create a better-functioning town. The Plan also addresses traffic concerns and highlights open spaces that are suitable for preservation.
If your saying this is a more planned approach rather than haphazard zoning, than some areas should have easier zoning and some should have more restrictive zoning, and there should be a balance. What areas have zoning that is now more restrictive? ill answer that for you, NONE!
” Also I’m pretty sure I am correct that the Town becomes eligible for various state aid grants, funds, etc. if it’s a “Smart Growth” town.”
Grants for who?
I hope that the Planning Board realizes that the majority of the CURRENT residents are opposed to any more growth in this town. We, as current residents, have the right to say that more people should NOT move to town and congest it any more than it is now.
Yes, some investors will lose money if they can’t build. But we, the residents, have the right to oppose that which will disturb OUR quality of life.
If the planning board votes against the will of the people, in effect we will have a dictatorship in this town.
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I was wondering what happened to the Slachetka & Truscott, “Lakewood Smart Growth Plan Prepared for Lakewood Township.”
The Smart Growth plan was cited in a 39 page report I submitted to the superintendent and posted on TLS in May, 2011 (condensed).
https://thelakewoodscoop.com/2011/06/lakewoods-unique-challenge-education.html
It is time to act.
Hi Clarity….. This is allowing cluster housing in areas where they should not be. The old public work yard on E9th. Theres no room for any more traffic. Brook Road…. These areas can’t handle any more growth they should be preserved. Instead this smart growth is calling for Doubling density housing. Dumb growth it is!!
I am personally asking that everybody please come tonight to the meeting and voice your concern over the irresponsible growth that our town has experienced in the last ten years. Whether you have been living in lakewood for forty or four years, the planning board and the Township Committee is responsible to protect YOU, the resident of Lakewood, not some unknown future residents, or the builders and special interests. Please come tonight. You can stop this plan that would double the amount of homes in Lakewood without a real plan of infrastructure development, or removing the crime ridden run down areas. Please come tonight at six o’clock. I will be giving out a special gift to everyone that feels they have had ENOUGH and they want to see people in charge that care about them, and not a chosen few. See you there.
The best smart growth plan would be to build housing on the homeless camp in Lakewood.
Let me understand this, if the Planning Board votes down the Smart Growth Plan we will continue to build by variance, or if they pass it we will over build where the roads can’t handle the traffic. It sounds like there is NO difference in either vote. Keep up the great work Planning Board.
This meeting is a joke. Learn jurisdictional rights of governing agencies and general land development procedures before you stick your foot on your mouth.
Heads I will tails you lose.That is what this meeting is all about.