Our Concerns > The Community
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
Quality of Life (QOL) is the general well-being of individuals and societies, outlining negative and positive features of life. It observes life satisfaction, including everything from physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, finance, sense of community, place in community, and the environment.
While QOL is subjective, the residents of Middletown agree: the Village 35 proposal will negatively impact our QOL. It lacks imagination (translation: kind understatement). The application is entrenched in a pillage, barren the land, take-the-money-and-run mindset that is not sustainable for the long-term health of our Community.
We deserve better. We know there are better ways to develop the last expansive tract of land (118 acres) on Rt 35, the middle of Middletown. Village 35 isn't it.
There is a development within a 5 mile radius of the Middletown Town Hall, whose developers are re-envisioning a mixed use landscape, commericial & residential, for the 21st century. Their rallying cry ". . . bringing together a community of forward-looking companies in a space that blurs the line between work and play, past and future, imagination and reality." The development, Bell Works, offers civic space (library, fitness center, and event space), a complex for large offices (the new Central Jersey Power and Light headquarters), SME spaces, and a collaborative environment for small business incubation, along with a RETAIL component. It's the commercial development that has gripped us. The residential developer here, (yes, Toll Brothers), is offering an active adult community along with luxury homes.
The Bell Works project may be being realized with obstacles, however, it is one Middletown residents are jealous of. That said, on with our Community's grievances, concerns, and opposition to the Village 35 proposal.
While QOL is subjective, the residents of Middletown agree: the Village 35 proposal will negatively impact our QOL. It lacks imagination (translation: kind understatement). The application is entrenched in a pillage, barren the land, take-the-money-and-run mindset that is not sustainable for the long-term health of our Community.
We deserve better. We know there are better ways to develop the last expansive tract of land (118 acres) on Rt 35, the middle of Middletown. Village 35 isn't it.
There is a development within a 5 mile radius of the Middletown Town Hall, whose developers are re-envisioning a mixed use landscape, commericial & residential, for the 21st century. Their rallying cry ". . . bringing together a community of forward-looking companies in a space that blurs the line between work and play, past and future, imagination and reality." The development, Bell Works, offers civic space (library, fitness center, and event space), a complex for large offices (the new Central Jersey Power and Light headquarters), SME spaces, and a collaborative environment for small business incubation, along with a RETAIL component. It's the commercial development that has gripped us. The residential developer here, (yes, Toll Brothers), is offering an active adult community along with luxury homes.
The Bell Works project may be being realized with obstacles, however, it is one Middletown residents are jealous of. That said, on with our Community's grievances, concerns, and opposition to the Village 35 proposal.
VILLAGE 35 IS WRONG FOR MIDDLETOWN.
THE SIMPLE VERSION:
118 ACRES. GONE FOREVER. SQUANDERED.
118 acres lost to Redundant Retail & Dense Housing Development
*SERVICES: SCHOOLS, POLICE, FIRE & EMT DEPARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, ROADS & BRIDGES, UTILITIES
118 ACRES. GONE FOREVER. SQUANDERED.
118 acres lost to Redundant Retail & Dense Housing Development
- Redundant Retail = Another Dead Strip Mall
- Dense Housing Development = Over-Population due to bad Land Use
- Population Increase = Excessive Traffic, More Pollution, A Burden on *Services
- A Burden on *Services = Higher Taxes
- All Combined = Negative Quality of Life
*SERVICES: SCHOOLS, POLICE, FIRE & EMT DEPARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, ROADS & BRIDGES, UTILITIES
THE DETAILED VERSION:
Taxes:
There are roughly 1000 new residential units (350 at Village 35/Oaks at Middletown, 228 at Four Ponds, 190 at Bamm Hollow, 20 at Tanglewood Estates, 250 at Taylor lane (across from Target) planned or being built in various developments throughout Middletown. Many more are to follow as undeveloped farmland is marketed and unprotected open space is targeted by developers because current Township ordinances allow their exploitation of these areas.
In addition, approximately 340,000 square feet of commercial space with over 1,700 parking spaces and no usable open space for the public is set to be built at the proposed Village 35/Oaks at Middletown development. We are talking thousands of additional cars on our already congested highways and local roadways.
As a result:
• New schools or additions to current schools will be needed.
• Larger class sizes, more supplies and more buses will be needed.
• Walkers will encounter significantly more traffic to and from school.
• With 2300 additional cars at peak hours more time will be needed
for students to get to and from school and afterschool activities.
Traffic:
Route 35 will be impassable at times. Forget about getting your children to practice or a game on time when it’s scheduled after school. Don’t be fooled by the developers and their experts, every place you sit in traffic once had a traffic plan and they always underestimate the amount of traffic generated by a development because it is in their best interest. But in reality, all roadways will suffer, including:
• Kings Highway East (KHE) —This road is the only point of ingress/egress for several existing communities. Increased traffic on this road, guaranteed by the developer’s proposed connector road from Kanes Lane to KHE, will make it nearly impossible for residents to access or leave their driveways. The proposed movie theatre will bring late-night traffic and all-night lighting and noise. All of this will change the rural character of this designated scenic roadway.
• Chapel Hill Road/Sleepy Hollow Road Community and East Road—East Road will be a primary route from Route 36 to KHE to the proposed movie theatre and restaurants. The already-congested Chapel Hill Road/Route 35 intersection is NOT slated for any improvements. The developer is looking for a variance/waiver to avoid having to make improvements at this intersection. Additionally, with the Tindall Road jughandle deemed unusable (see below), many drivers will now look to Sleepy Hollow Road/Chapel Hill Road to get to Route 35.
• Tindall Road Jughandle — During peak hours, it isn’t uncommon to wait two traffic lights to get through this jughandle. All the while, traffic is backing up on Tindall Road. This is particularly the case, when Middletown High School North, 63 Tindall Road, lets out for the day and when the school has events. An estimated 2,300 additional cars will be using this jughandle on a regular basis if this development is approved as is. NO improvements to this jughandle are planned to address these issues.
• Kings Highway/Old Village --The proposed retail development (340,000 sf) and dine-in movie theatre is intended to attract not only local residents, but users from far and wide. Kings Highway, currently a scenic residential historic road with churches, a school, and school bus stops, will become a much-used route for Village 35 patrons traveling from the Garden State Parkway. Middletown Village Elementary, 147 Kings Hwy, already has parents with their children in tow navigating dense traffic from Red Hill Road backup and Kings Hwy combined congestion, to get their young students safely to school.
• Twin Brooks Avenue/Woodland Drive/Pondview--Twin Brooks Avenue and Woodland Drive are the only entrances to this residential community from Route 35 and they are currently planned to be the main entrances to the mall. Twin Brooks Avenue will be changed from the current 2 lanes to 4 lanes, and the Kanes Lane/Woodland Drive intersection will also be enlarged. Since there are no plans to revise the Dunkin Donuts island (already a serious traffic hazard with much cut-through traffic) or the Tindall Road jughandle, traffic will now divert into the Woodland Drive/Twin Brooks Avenue/Spruce Drive/Brandywine Way areas of Pondview to access Kings Highway and the GSP. This neighborhood is a quiet residential neighborhood with no sidewalks. Spruce Drive is a scenic narrow road. The excess traffic will be a hazard to residents and particularly to children at school bus stops.
• Red Hill Road—All of the additional traffic from Village 35/Oaks at Middletown (residential/retail/movie theatre) heading toward the GSP will be problematic. Red Hill Road is a winding scenic road with many hidden driveways and not intended to accommodate heavy traffic. It is not easy to navigate, particularly after dark, and there have been numerous accidents recorded even on the clearest of days and nights.
• Kings Highway/Harmony Road at 35, New Monmouth Road at 35, Apple Farm Road at 35—All of these intersections and jughandles will NOT have any improvements and are planned to stay as is. Traffic is already backed up at each of these locations with current volumes. Additional mall and residential traffic will make them impassable unless improvements are made.
Drainage Concerns: Although the plan calls for water retention and drainage solutions, there are far too few of them delineated and flooding of roadways, new homes, and existing homes is likely. And just like traffic plans, drainage plans always claim the proposed improvements are enough but we all know the reality of those claims.
Bottom Line….these Tax, Traffic, Environmental and Education issues add up to a decline in Property Values as well as a deterioration in the Quality of Life for Middletown Residents. Get involved! Attend Meetings! Donate money, volunteer time, whatever you can to the effort to stop irresponsible overdevelopment in your area and throughout Middletown!
Taxes:
There are roughly 1000 new residential units (350 at Village 35/Oaks at Middletown, 228 at Four Ponds, 190 at Bamm Hollow, 20 at Tanglewood Estates, 250 at Taylor lane (across from Target) planned or being built in various developments throughout Middletown. Many more are to follow as undeveloped farmland is marketed and unprotected open space is targeted by developers because current Township ordinances allow their exploitation of these areas.
In addition, approximately 340,000 square feet of commercial space with over 1,700 parking spaces and no usable open space for the public is set to be built at the proposed Village 35/Oaks at Middletown development. We are talking thousands of additional cars on our already congested highways and local roadways.
As a result:
• New schools or additions to current schools will be needed.
• Larger class sizes, more supplies and more buses will be needed.
• Walkers will encounter significantly more traffic to and from school.
• With 2300 additional cars at peak hours more time will be needed
for students to get to and from school and afterschool activities.
Traffic:
Route 35 will be impassable at times. Forget about getting your children to practice or a game on time when it’s scheduled after school. Don’t be fooled by the developers and their experts, every place you sit in traffic once had a traffic plan and they always underestimate the amount of traffic generated by a development because it is in their best interest. But in reality, all roadways will suffer, including:
• Kings Highway East (KHE) —This road is the only point of ingress/egress for several existing communities. Increased traffic on this road, guaranteed by the developer’s proposed connector road from Kanes Lane to KHE, will make it nearly impossible for residents to access or leave their driveways. The proposed movie theatre will bring late-night traffic and all-night lighting and noise. All of this will change the rural character of this designated scenic roadway.
• Chapel Hill Road/Sleepy Hollow Road Community and East Road—East Road will be a primary route from Route 36 to KHE to the proposed movie theatre and restaurants. The already-congested Chapel Hill Road/Route 35 intersection is NOT slated for any improvements. The developer is looking for a variance/waiver to avoid having to make improvements at this intersection. Additionally, with the Tindall Road jughandle deemed unusable (see below), many drivers will now look to Sleepy Hollow Road/Chapel Hill Road to get to Route 35.
• Tindall Road Jughandle — During peak hours, it isn’t uncommon to wait two traffic lights to get through this jughandle. All the while, traffic is backing up on Tindall Road. This is particularly the case, when Middletown High School North, 63 Tindall Road, lets out for the day and when the school has events. An estimated 2,300 additional cars will be using this jughandle on a regular basis if this development is approved as is. NO improvements to this jughandle are planned to address these issues.
• Kings Highway/Old Village --The proposed retail development (340,000 sf) and dine-in movie theatre is intended to attract not only local residents, but users from far and wide. Kings Highway, currently a scenic residential historic road with churches, a school, and school bus stops, will become a much-used route for Village 35 patrons traveling from the Garden State Parkway. Middletown Village Elementary, 147 Kings Hwy, already has parents with their children in tow navigating dense traffic from Red Hill Road backup and Kings Hwy combined congestion, to get their young students safely to school.
• Twin Brooks Avenue/Woodland Drive/Pondview--Twin Brooks Avenue and Woodland Drive are the only entrances to this residential community from Route 35 and they are currently planned to be the main entrances to the mall. Twin Brooks Avenue will be changed from the current 2 lanes to 4 lanes, and the Kanes Lane/Woodland Drive intersection will also be enlarged. Since there are no plans to revise the Dunkin Donuts island (already a serious traffic hazard with much cut-through traffic) or the Tindall Road jughandle, traffic will now divert into the Woodland Drive/Twin Brooks Avenue/Spruce Drive/Brandywine Way areas of Pondview to access Kings Highway and the GSP. This neighborhood is a quiet residential neighborhood with no sidewalks. Spruce Drive is a scenic narrow road. The excess traffic will be a hazard to residents and particularly to children at school bus stops.
• Red Hill Road—All of the additional traffic from Village 35/Oaks at Middletown (residential/retail/movie theatre) heading toward the GSP will be problematic. Red Hill Road is a winding scenic road with many hidden driveways and not intended to accommodate heavy traffic. It is not easy to navigate, particularly after dark, and there have been numerous accidents recorded even on the clearest of days and nights.
• Kings Highway/Harmony Road at 35, New Monmouth Road at 35, Apple Farm Road at 35—All of these intersections and jughandles will NOT have any improvements and are planned to stay as is. Traffic is already backed up at each of these locations with current volumes. Additional mall and residential traffic will make them impassable unless improvements are made.
Drainage Concerns: Although the plan calls for water retention and drainage solutions, there are far too few of them delineated and flooding of roadways, new homes, and existing homes is likely. And just like traffic plans, drainage plans always claim the proposed improvements are enough but we all know the reality of those claims.
Bottom Line….these Tax, Traffic, Environmental and Education issues add up to a decline in Property Values as well as a deterioration in the Quality of Life for Middletown Residents. Get involved! Attend Meetings! Donate money, volunteer time, whatever you can to the effort to stop irresponsible overdevelopment in your area and throughout Middletown!
|
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST Vertical Divider
|
Vertical Divider
|
YOU ARE NEEDED |
