Interesting article! I haven't been following it too closely and don't know details, but I think it's good to see citizens making themselves aware and acting on things that are happening around them.
Don't get me started on that! It's around the corner from my house. I already go to enough planning board meetings!!! Nice to see that Boonton Township drew 140 people to their meeting. That's a VERY good turnout for a planning board meeting! For the record, I haven't made up my mind about the equestrian center...Part of me says, 'great - another local acitivity' and part of me says 'wait a minute - this is a recreational use, not an agricultural use. The owner already profited from selling those rights away!" Hopefully, we'll learn more about it in the coming months.
It's an interesting case...Years ago, the owner sold the development rights to the town and now the property is 'preserved farmland'. Now the owner (who is getting old) wants to sell to a riding stable. Is a 100-horse equestrian center / riding stable an agricultural use? Questions like this really make one realize that zoning laws are not cut and dry and must constantly be interpreted and re-interpreted to change with the times...
I wonder if the group mentioned in the article would have formed if not for VORT. To VORT members - something to think about. Your influence probably now extends beyond our township. The example you have set will help residents of other towns empower themselves to fight for what they believe is right for their towns.
This is just around the corner from us too. It feels like we are being "surrounded" by sprawl. This area is just not set up (as in an inner city matrix configuration) to accomodate these types of activities. I understand that the building that they want to construct is 400 x 100 on that property for their stables. That does not include the parking lot and the influence of 100 horses and their by-products on the local environment (streams, etc. which run through that property). It seems to me that this property is more able to accomodate an Equestrian Center of perhaps 10 to 15 horses, not 100. 100 horses is a lot of horse****!!
