Support Bergen County’s Open Space Ballot Question
Bergen County’s beautiful rivers and broad waterways have long attracted both residential and commercial development to our borders. But living by the river has become dangerous as these areas flood regularly, causing extensive property damage and in some cases requiring towns to expend scarce resources for evacuation and rescue missions. Officials know they need to find a long-term solution to this problem. Many communities have found that riverside parks are the right answer to our flood mitigation problems. The concept of a riverside park is not new, but it is gaining traction as a viable and workable solution to purchasing property that has been subjected to floods from serious storms.
On November 5, 2013 Bergen County voters have the unique opportunity to expand the use of Bergen County’s trust fund to allow it to acquire flood-damaged homes and convert them to recreational open space. If approved, this new measure will allow the use of existing county funds to match state and federal funding to acquire open space as part of a flood buyout program, allowing new community parks to arise. Once the houses are removed, these properties will become meaningful open space amenities for local communities, allowing for access to the rivers for fishing, boating and hiking while offering relief to homeowners from ongoing flood events.
These types of projects have achieved tremendous success in other counties. In Pequannock Township in Morris County, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey and the Township have used local, county, state and federal funds to acquire 32 homes along the Pompton River. Another 30 are planned for acquisition as part of the Pompton Riverwalk, a public pathway that will one day run along the entire eastern border of the community. Most of the homes have been removed and the first sections of the Riverwalk are planned for public use next year.
Bergen County is asking its residents to step forward and utilize existing funding, already collected for open space preservation, to purchase, preserve and remove homes from flood damaged areas, and allow wooded pathways, access to rivers for fishing and strolling, to arise. Removing homes and removing the infrastructure that created impediments to flood waters, will allow the land to function as it is meant to, to hold and store flood waters during serious storms, protecting neighborhoods outside of the typical flood zones, from rising waters that would otherwise place their property at risk.
Earmarking a portion of existing funds for flood mitigation and purchase makes sense for the County and will greatly enhance its ability to bring in outside matching funds from state and federal agencies back to Bergen County. It is a well thought-out initiative that benefits all residents and we ask that you vote “yes” for open space on November 5th.
Barbara Heskins Davis is Vice President of Programs for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, a non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting our vital natural lands and water resources.
Barbara McCloskey
Membership & Outreach Manager
The Land Conservancy of New Jersey
an Accredited Land Trust