Bergen, Passaic see pop. growth decline, Hudson drops

From the Record:

Census: Bergen, Passaic trail N.J.

Bergen and Passaic counties trail the rest of the state in population growth, according to census figures that will be released today.

Bergen’s population grew only 2 percent, to 904,000, and Passaic’s rose just 1.2 percent, to 497,000, from 2000 to 2006.

In contrast, New Jersey grew 3.4 percent to more than 8.7 million, while the nation saw a 6.1 percent increase in that time. Hudson County’s population has decreased by more than 8,000 residents, or 1.4 percent of its population. Morris has increased by 4.6 percent to more than 493,000.
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Housing impact: The sluggish growth in Bergen and Passaic may have an effect on the housing market.

The amount of high-density housing has skyrocketed this decade. Apartments and condominiums totaling more than 16,000 units have either been proposed, are before local boards, or have recently been approved in North Jersey.

Last year Farouk Ahmad, Bergen County’s top planner, warned that the county could have the largest housing surplus since the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the real estate market collapsed.

But on Wednesday he said that many of the developments already approved by planning boards would likely not be built until the market recovers and demand is up.