PINELANDS ECONOMIC STUDY BUILD CASE FOR SMART GROWTH

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PINELANDS ECONOMIC STUDY BUILD CASE FOR SMART GROWTH

Date: 12 Dec 2003
From: "carol" {carol@njconservation.org}

THE STATE WE'RE IN
By Michele S. Byers, Executive Director
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
December 10, 2003 - Volume XXXIII, No. 48

I'm sure you're not surprised to hear that there are conflicting
opinions about the impact of smart growth planning and land
conservation on the economy. Developers say that smart growth stifles
economic growth, while conservationist say that smart growth provides
sustainable economic growth and preserves quality of life. Who's
right?

Economic data from New Jersey's Pinelands region continues to chip
away at the myth that a healthy, growing economy is dependent on
unchecked development.

Established in southern New Jersey in 1978, the Pinelands National
Reserve is the nation's first and only Federal Reserve. Land use in
the Pinelands' one million acres is managed by the Pinelands
Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) - the most comprehensive,
functioning smart growth plan in New Jersey. The CMP limits
development in forest and agricultural areas while channeling growth
to regional growth areas and existing towns.

The Pinelands Commission's "Long-Term Economic Monitoring Program"
provides reliable and objective evaluations of the evolving economic
health of the Pinelands region. Economic conditions are monitored and
measured using key indicators like population demographics, property
values, economic growth, and municipal finance.

Recent data shows the population of Pinelands municipalities
increased 12% between 1990 and 2000, and that there was a 17% increase
in building permits in the Pinelands 2002, while the surrounding, non-
Pinelands portions of southern New Jersey saw a 2.5% decline in
permits.

Previous economic reports indicated that the Pinelands had a lower
per capita income than the non-Pinelands region; however, income
levels grew at a faster rate in the Pinelands between 1989 and 1999.
The largest employment sectors in the Pinelands in 1999 were in
retail, services, and construction.

The average residential property tax bill in the Pinelands rose by
5.3-percent between 2001 and 2002, compared to 6.9-percent for the
non-Pinelands region - further proof that ratables aren't a magic wand
to stabilize property taxes. At the same time, median home prices rose
by 8.4 % to $122,500 in the Pinelands, more than the 6.6 % increase to
$129,200 for a non-Pinelands home.

Finally, statewide unemployment levels continued to rise in 2002, but
with a slower rate of increase in the Pinelands.

While no crystal ball can predict New Jersey's future, the Pinelands
Long-Term Economic Monitoring Program continues to prove that smart
growth can boost the economy, protect critical open space and natural
resources, and improve our quality of life.

- - -

I hope you'll contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or
info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF's website at
http://www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving
New Jersey's precious land and natural resources.

* * *

Carol K. Banhart
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Bamboo Brook
170 Longview Road
Far Hills, NJ 07931
Phone: 908-234-1225 x105
Fax: 908-234-1189
 
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