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A case study for New Jersey municipalities - promoted by Hopeful
Even if you live in a different part of the state, what has been happening in Cherry Hill is probably connected in some respects to your own local government and municipalities. Indulge me, North and Central Jersey readers, and tell me if this isn't also the current story of Toms River, Freehold, Hamilton, and several such townships, as well as a past story for Jersey City, Newark, and other urban areas. The problems that face Cherry Hill, and the role of the progressive movement in providing possible solutions, has relevance in such statewide cities and towns. Many Blue Jersey posters either live in or near Cherry Hill, too. |
The Basics
Cherry Hill is growing exponentially
and may not be doing so with a proper smart-growth model. The population is now over 70,000, making the township the 13th-largest city in the state; I imagine that, in the upcoming years, Cherry Hill will continue to grow in population and in influence. Though Camden is the county seat for Camden County, and receives much of the state and federal funds allocated to this area, it is Cherry Hill that serves as the seat of power for Camden County; in short, the way the wind blows in Cherry Hill greatly affects the rest of CamCo. In the 1930s, Cherry Hill, then Delaware Township, was a farming center in South Jersey, with over 80 farms and very little development. Now, only a single farm exists in Cherry Hill, Springdale Farms, and even that may be an endangered species, unfortunately. Within 5-10 miles from Center City Philly, Cherry Hill is in a perfect location, has a wealth of shopping, a healthy median income of $81k and some of the best public schools in the region, if not the state. The township is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the Philadelphia region, and property taxes, though ridiculously high, are better than in Haddon Heights or Haddonfield, making it very attractive to move to Cherry Hill. Gloucester County, directly to the South, is the fastest growing county in the state, but Cherry Hill is growing by leaps and bounds, too.
Planning Problems, Preservation Problems
There seems to have been very little regional planning or preservation efforts in the early creation of the township, and Cherry Hill is now paying the price. McMansions are popping up all over town, taking up valuable land space; two major roads, Rt. 70 and Haddonfield-Berlin Rd. jut through the borders of the town, making traffic a veritable nightmare at times; there is no preserved downtown district to Cherry Hill, since the township itself just grew from a center near a farm across from present-day Cherry Hill Mall; and open space is at a premium. A few months ago, an elderly man died when trying to walk across the racetrack that is Rt. 70, and township government seems to want to make Rt. 70 have no cut-throughs for local residents.
As the township has gotten bigger, so have grown the problems with population and land growth vs. wildlife and natural preservation. It is not unusual to come across raccoons, deer, groundhogs, rabbits, hawks, and other wildlife in one's backyard in Cherry Hill. Yet, because there isn't enough public land and predators have been eradicated, the deer population has grown, and a deer hunt was ordered on Springdale Rd. in 2006, causing a rift between animal rights activists and property owners who encouraged the hunt. When there is no central regional planning for the county and township that is consistent and forward-looking, these problems, from traffic issues to wildlife problems, will continue to occur. All is not a black cloud, though: Cherry Hill has preserved hundreds of acres through its open space management program, including the Bridge Hollow tract as well as acres on Rt. 70 and King's Highway. This is no easy task and costs millions, as the property values continue to go up in Cherry Hill; The Camden County Open Space Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund will need to continue to coordinate efforts with local townships like Cherry Hill -- and give money -- for open space to be sustainable there. Again, a regional approach for smart growth and preservation usually results from better planning.
Township government: problems, accomplishments
In a highly-Democratic area, one would expect the township to be Democratically-controlled, and that has been the case for quite some time; but this causes problems with the blurring of boundaries between the separation of agencies and interests in Cherry Hill. The all-Democratic council includes Shelley Adler, wife of State Senator John Adler, who served on the township council himself in the 1980s; and the council is a major player in county government. I would expect, for example, that the next Assemblyman from district 6 would be from the Cherry Hill council, after John Adler moves up and someone (Greenwald?) takes his place in the senate.
Mayor Bernie Platt is someone who I admire but also think is deserving of criticism. Under his leadership, taxes have skyrocketed in Cherry Hill. Recently, an activist sued the township because Camden County freeholders bought Marlkress Rd. in Cherry Hill allegedly to pay off township debt. Local township activists, too, had to prod Platt and the board to get pay to play laws passed; but, to Platt and the board?s credit, pay to play reform was passed, though they shouldn't take credit for the work. Platt has also helped make Cherry Hill a more "green" township by instituting various environmentally-friendly initiatives
The township is switching to lower-energy traffic lights, offering residents incentives to recycle and even looking into putting solar panels on a municipal building.
A coalition of activists had to push the Democratic-controlled township government to act in some of these respects, but some good work has been done. Too often, though, the township government sees the viable solution for property taxes as having more rateables that can accrue property value -- and then taxes -- in undeveloped parts of Cherry Hill.
Whether it's development issues, regional planning, township government and its responsiveness, wildlife encounters, road use, or other such issues, I think that Cherry Hill's story represents much of the state's problems. Cherry Hill and Camden County need to make efforts to preserve land in this coveted suburb of the Philadelphia metropolis; one giant, nondescript suburbia is not the vision of the future I have for Cherry Hill. The story of Cherry Hill is one that could describe much of New Jersey's towns and municipalities; the solutions, too, I imagine, are rather similar.
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