Vernon Redevelopment

From the NJ Herald:

Vernon on road to redevelopment
By BILL WICHERT

As Township Planner Fred Suljic put it, redevelopment puts Vernon in the driver’s seat to lead developers and residents toward an overarching vision for the town.

Tied to concerns over expanded government powers and public involvement in resort development, the recent approval of three redevelopment zones is expected to transform Vernon into what officials and developers hope will be a year-round destination.
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Through redevelopment, officials said they will be able to craft and implement detailed plans for future growth in Vernon and, in the process, attract new jobs, affordable housing opportunities, and commercial development that will stabilize municipal taxes without adding to the local school population. Developers would be attracted to these areas through grants, loans and possibly tax incentives.

“We get to be very selective in what we want to see there,” Suljic said. “It all helps the economy of the town.”

Some skeptics are troubled by the power that comes along with redevelopment. Over the last several months, residents and township officials have questioned giving the government more authority in planning decisions, including the potential use of eminent domain.

“One of the things that concerns me is redevelopment provides ample opportunity for abuse by unscrupulous officials,” El’s Way resident Rick Renfrow told the Township Council at Monday’s meeting, when council members approved the designation of the three redevelopment areas.
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Controlling growth through redevelopment aligns with Vernon with numerous other towns around the state that have taken similar steps toward improving their local economy. While redevelopment is historically associated with healing social blight in cities like Newark and Asbury Park, planning experts said Vernon’s goals might prove that redevelopment can work in the shadow of mountains as well.