Testimony Given on City of Vineland Master Plan
April 28, 2008

The master plan is vehicle to define the future of the City, designed to address the physical needs and environmental nature of the city. It is a guide to development that will define the quality of life for its residents.

As such, we would like to suggest a number of observations that we feel should be considered in the master plan in order to ensure a higher quality of life for Vineland’s residents.

Firstly, we would like to see several protection ordinances: specifically, a wellhead protection, a stream corridor or riparian buffer protection, and a tree ordinance.

The wellhead protection ordinance, according to EPA, should limit or forbid the storage of hazardous materials and place restrictions on the location of business that use these materials within the overlay district of wellhead protection. It should also include procedures for review of proposed projects within a source water protection district to verify that the project is consistent with the ultimate goal of the ordinance, possibly requiring applicants to submit geotechnical and hydrological analyses to determine potential impacts to water quality.

A stream corridor ordinance should be considered as well. The forest and wetlands with stream corridors provide a buffer against pollution impacts to the stream. Wetlands areas and floodplains help prevent flood related damage to surrounding communities by providing flood storage capacity; helping recharge ground water aquifers, and by helping maintain the surface water level of the stream channel during low rainfall periods.

We also feel that a tree ordinance is important, stressing the importance of addressing the economic constraints of tree preservation and the physical constraints of constructing on wooded lots.

Trees have a great deal of financial value, from increased property values to various environmental benefits. Trees stabilize the soil and control water pollution, yield advantageous microclimatic effects which conserve energy, preserve and foster air quality by removing carbon dioxide and airborne pollutants, abate visual and noise pollution, and provide natural habitat for wildlife. They also provide welcome shade to people and add color and interest to the urban landscape. Trees provide a psychological boost to urbanites. People are generally more satisfied with their neighborhoods if there are trees. The benefits of established trees in our communities are subtle and often overlooked.

This ordinance needs to be realistic; the intent of the ordinance should be to provide incentives for unique and creative project designs that complement the woodlands and replace excessive tree loss. Whether this be by requiring developers to set aside wooded areas as preserves, or using sliding scales, or percentage replacement, or off-site reforestation, or flexible no-net loss formulas, the ordinance must be constructed in a manner that is enforceable, economically feasible and environmentally beneficial.

CU encourages the City to maintain its position in not extending sanitary sewers to serve the rural/conservation greenbelt areas. We also encourage the board to consider that extending sewer to areas that already have multiple issues, such as impacted wells, is not in the interests of the local residents.

We would also encourage the board to make full use of planning tools like Transfer Development Rights and cluster development. Cluster development should include provisions for anywhere from 50 to 75 per cent of the land set aside as open space. Clustering results in a reduction in environmental impact, by reducing sprawl, better addressing stormwater management and runoff issues, and decreasing the amount of impervious surfaces. It also reduces traffic congestion and often results in reduced development costs as a result of less infrastructure, less land to clear, and a natural stormwater buffer that can decrease the need for installing extensive curbs, gutters, and storm sewers. There are market incentives and economic benefits, as well, to clustering. Studies show that the costs to local governments in providing services to conventional sprawled communities drives up taxes because the new development often does not generate sufficient ratables to support these services; clustering consolidates the geographic areas that must be serviced. Market studies also show that homes within residential cluster developments often appreciate at higher and faster rates than conventional subdivision homes.

The Master Plan draft notes a “Sporadic conversion of farms in East Vineland to residential developments resulting in a fragmentary street network, proliferation of on-site septic systems, and continued loss of valuable farmland.”

Often the motivation for protecting prime agricultural areas in the path of urban growth is preserving rural character as much as protecting the resource. Therefore, agricultural protection done in combination with other innovative growth management techniques that support urban growth has a higher chance of success.

The current Master Plan draft also cites concerns with the “Loss of the environmental integrity of the Maurice River, the Menantico Creek, and the Manumuskin River.”

CU also finds these concerns to be of great merit, and supports the Planning Board’s efforts to ensure the integrity of these waterways by implementing various conservation overlays, zoning, and the use of other planning tools.

The colony at Menantico pond is one such a threat of extremely dense development. The 2006 proposal for development encompassed the entire Menantico Lake, with a golf course adjacent to the lake. The pond that was proposed to be deeded to the NJDEP has a broken dam. The nationally designated Wild and Scenic begins at the dam; 103 acres of this property are designated river conservation area; and the creek, pond, and wetlands amount to an additional158 acres. The nitrogen rich fertilizers generated by a golf course on a porous sanded, acidic Pinelands waterway would be highly detrimental to the water quality of this national designated waterway. Furthermore, the public vociferously objected to the development of this area by means of petition and attendance at public meetings.

We are also highly concerned with the possibility of development of Rudy’s Airport. Development would conflict with virtually every map overlay, compromising the goals of seven conservation elements. It is part of the western greenbelt, and is mapped for habitat, and wellhead protection. Map CO2 shows a special water resource protection area going right through it. It is also noted on the Natural Heritage grid as a specific location for rare species and is mapped as a Threatened and Endangered forest level 4.

This proposed development is also near shores of Willow Grove Lake. We have a long history of advocating for Willow Grove Lake and feel that development of this Rudy’s Airport would negatively impact the area.

The Maurice River is listed as a wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention of 1971 for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

There is no water or sewer to this area; smart growth dictates that development be kept closer to center city rather than to extend the “suburbs”.

The City maps Willow Grove as one of the most important recharge areas in Vineland. Development would severely impact the recharge capacity of this area which is so important to the entirety of the city.

Lastly, we thank you for having created the most progressive master plan Vineland has ever had. We encourage you to stay the course such that we might have a sustainable future.

On behalf of the officers and trustees of Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc.,

Renee Brecht
Associate Director
Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc.
P.O. Box 474
Millville, NJ 08332