The Master Plan

As Messrs. McCormac and Landolfi tell everyone, if you want to know what is currently happening in Woodbridge Township, even breaking news, go to the township’s website.  If you do that, you'll dig and find a link to the township's Master Plan.

It is a presentation that is truly informative and very nicely done.  Lots of information about the township. 

For those interested in first aid squads, see page XII-6, at the end of the Plan; then note how is listed as the squad covering Fords and Keasbey. It's interesting, since St. John's was kicked off the township's 911 map and is trying to reopen its doors.

While the Plan is a highly informative document, it does not appear to address how the Township plans to meet its COAH requirements for approximately 980 affordable housing units. 

Reportedly, after years of delay, the McCormac Administration was recently told by a Superior Court Judge, they have until the end of May 2012 to produce such a “Plan” for the Court’s review.

If the Township is forced into compliance with the COAH requirements, what impact will it have on the Woodbridge School District and the Township’s infrastructure (i.e., roads, police, fire, EMS, etc.)?  How much will future tax bills go up?  

Mr. McCormac’s “Pilot Programs”, which give businesses big tax breaks - in some cases, for decades - share none of those tax revenues with the School District or the County. Accordingly, those business tax breaks provide no help in offsetting anyone’s school and county tax bills.

The rumor mill has it that one option the McCormac Administration is reportedly mulling is for the township to purchase all the foreclosed homes in Woodbridge Township, about 340 or so properties, and use them to fulfill the township's COAH requirements. Of course this would require negotiations with numerous banking and mortgage institutions, extensive legal fees, tying up millions in taxpayer dollars, and the cost of maintaining the properties until they are sold.

Typically, one might expect to see realtors, developers, or speculators competing to acquire foreclosed properties on such a least-cost basis. Such properties could then be resold by such experts at ‘comp’ pricing with other properties in their neighborhood. 

If the township were to go into the affordable housing supply business, what impact will that have on current neighborhood housing values?  Then too, there would still be the question of where the remaining 640 or so remaining affordable housing units would go.  

Would developers want to compete against the township in selling affordable housing in this downturned real estate market? 

With so much of the undeveloped property in Colonia being purchased by Mr. McCormac at premium prices, with Open Space funds from the county and state, whose neighborhood(s) will be blessed with all those new, affordable housing units?

One thing is for certain.  If the township is forced to meet its COAH requirements, McCormac - the former NJ State Treasurer, now mayor of Woodbridge Township - will have to get even more creative on this dilemma than he was with the State’s Pension Plan!