Hello friends,
The late state Sen. Leonard T. Connors Jr., who represented Ocean County in Trenton and Surf City as mayor for a half-century, had a story he liked to tell reporters about when he first moved to Long Beach Island in the 1960s.
"I wanted them to blow up the bridge behind me," Connors said, giving voice to that feeling anyone who's bought a home in a town they love has felt -- I'm here, and it's perfect, but I don't want anyone else to come.
Of course, we know that isn't possible, so we each get to decide how to respond. Connors became a home builder, bringing more people to the town he loved but in a way he could guide.
I was thinking of Connors this week on the drive to my local Wawa, a five-minute trip through hundreds of acres of rolling farm fields, the occasional neighborhood tucked into a former orchard and a few new, supersized homes under construction.
It's almost perfect. Most of it, right now, is also pre-approved for hundreds of homes and a sprawling retail project, part of what was called the "Richwood Town Center" -- with 1,600 homes, 1 million square-feet of retail and 1 million square-feet of office space -- before the project withered away.
The developer Madison Marquette owns most of the 385 acres already, but is in talks to sell it to something called MOTUS, which would instead build a massive, $480 million youth soccer complex on the site. Our Bill Duhart reports the plan would see "60 artificial turf and grass fields, two hotels and up to 200,000 square-feet of bars, restaurants and other retail outlets."
It's a far cry from the previous plan, and has raised almost as many concerns. Where all those homes would have added to the constant traffic in that area, where routes 322 and 55 come together near the new Inspira Hospital.
The soccer complex plan would create as many as 11,500 cars during tournaments, likely on weekends when Shore traffic already congests the area. The housing-heavy plan would have created more money for the school district (along with the impact of all those kids), but the soccer plan would likely be a large commercial ratable for the town.
So far, the our editorial writers are urging caution on the plan, rather than coming out against it. It's a position I'm comfortable taking as a nearby resident, with regret. I'd love to see those beautiful acres I've driven through for the last 18 years stay as farm fields.
But I also took to heart what a friend in town told me years ago, talking about whether her parents would eventually sell their large working farm: Farmers don't get pensions and 401(k)s. Their land is often their only chance at retirement security and any hope of creating generational wealth.
So what's it to be, Harrison Township? Lots of homes and retail in a time when retail is in turmoil, or hundreds of acres of fenced-in soccer fields with stadium lighting? I guess we'll see.
Also this week, we need nurses, more masks, before plastic bags, they're coming for your side hustle, and a zoo on the move:
NURSES NEEDED: If you've ever considered a career in nursing, now's the time: Despite increases in the number of people seeking nursing degrees, thousands more will be needed to replace those retiring and to keep up with an aging population.
FLYING MASKS: Honestly, given how I usually return from air travel with a cold, I may never fly maskless again. And it'll be required for at least two more weeks, as the CDC extends the travel mask rule.
BIG 80s VIBE: Remember the 1970s? That magical time when people smoked indoors everywhere and groceries came in paper bags? Those plastic T-shirt bags we're about to ban didn't come into widespread use until well into the 80s. We'll live without them.
TAX MAN: If you've been making cash from a side hustle like selling on Etsy or at craft fairs, the IRS wants to know, Karin Price-Mueller reports. It's everything you need to know about making a profit, taking business deductions and more.
LET'S MOVE A ZOO: The 478-acre, free-to-visitors Johnson Park zoo in Piscataway is closing, after damaging floods from Tropical Ida hit. While no animals died or were injured in those floods, the site's location in a flood plan is dangerous enough to warrant moving most of the animals to sanctuaries.
Finally, racism-spouting Sal Bonaccourso is still mayor of Clark. Will he survive the ongoing uproar, or stay in office as he's pledged? If you're reading this and you live in Clark, shoot me an email and let me know if you're OK with this guy being your mayor. I'm interested to hear what you think.
Have a great weekend!
P.S.: The cousin holidays of Passover and Easter both fall this weekend. Whether you're observing, celebrating, or just having your weekend, I hope it's a beautiful one.
