Lakewood, NJ – If projections are correct, the township will have a population of at least 90,000 people by 2010 — 30,000 more people than 10 years ago.
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The population growth is fueled by relocations to the township and an explosive birth rate, said Stanley C. Slachetka, a town planner with Middletown-based T&M Associates. “By all empirical measures, you’ve had significant growth,” he said.
For every 1,000 people there were more than 44 births in 2005, which is the latest state data available. The birth rate is about four times the state average, and it is the highest birthrate in the Garden State. The births added more than 2,000 people to the town in 2005. More than 86,770 of Ocean County’s estimated 565,493 people live here.
To meet the demand of a ballooning population, township officials are considering a plan that would spell out how the town will grow over the coming decades. It focuses on making redevelopment easier for private property owners and mixed-use developments, which allow for several types of property uses — residential, retail and office space, for example — to be placed on a single piece of property.
Slachetka presented that Smart Growth plan Tuesday night before the Planning Board during the first of two “community visioning” public hearings. A second hearing is scheduled for 5 p.m. today before the Township Committee.
Support and opposition are divided along a tight demographic line. Representatives from the Orthodox Jewish community were overwhelmingly in favor of the plan, and representatives from the adult communities were typically opposed.
Lakewood’s sprawling development has been “random and disjointed,” said Rabbi Moshe Weinberg, chairman of the Lakewood Development Corp.
Weinberg said the plan would provide the “unified vision” the town has lacked. The development corporation supports the adoption of the plan, he said.
Targeted areas include a tract of land on Cedarbridge Avenue near the Lakewood Blueclaws baseball park, the downtown, land on either side of Oak Street and land west of Massachusetts Avenue. Schools and transportation hubs would link the neighborhood cores and the township’s center.
“We came here to get away from the noise, bus depots and multifamily housing,” said David Ransom, a resident in one of the township’s adult communities.
The adult community residents and other senior citizens wanted the plan to address growing traffic problems, and to slow the growth of the town. On the other side of the argument is Yanky Braunstein, the owner of ClearPoint Services LLC land surveyors, who sees the plan as a means to expand businesses.
Kol Hakavod Lakewood!
They need to step back and bring some orderly development to Lakewood before we choke on our random and misguided growth. There are limits to how many people can be stuffedinto these ugly looking boxes they call “garden apartments” and not create more traffic than the roads can handle. We do not want to end up looking like KJ or NS where the objective is simply to house large families within close proximty to shuls without regard to architectural design and open space considerations. We should be prepared to pay more for housing and also to impose strict limits on growth to preserve the ambience of the community.
I for one elect to stay in Boro Park.
We don’t want Lakewood to turn into another overcrowded BP.
I am proud to be a business owner here. And the growth only helps the parnassa here.
Lakewood is ir hatorah, not ir ha-ambience. You must make sacrifices for Torah.
quality vs quantity…
I don’t get it why are people referring to kj. Cuz we have huge familys. Well willi also has. What’s wrong with kj??
kein Yerbu
Its not a good idea and way too soon to discuss imposing limits on the allowable size of families in Lakewood. That should only be a last resort once they have exhausted other options for controlling growth.
This is a play by lakewood yeshiva to develope the office park into housing.
“Orthodox Jewish community were overwhelmingly in favor of the plan, and representatives from the adult communities were typically opposed.”
Sounds like the Jews are kids…
Come to think of it, most of them are!!!
Nu, so maybe now some of the full time learners, will learn a trade and go to work so they can support this baby boom.
Let us not forget that there is a concept in halacha to which even those in lakewood must adhere: Dina d’malchusa dina- whether we want to delude ourselves or not, we live in the USA, not Israel, circa 1st bayis. We cannot run rampant and do whatever we’d like. There are rules and we must follow them. Among those are smart-planning zoning laws, which consider open space, utility capacity, and traffic, among others.
The USA is a big place- it has always boggled my mind why we can’t establish torah centers with shochets, schools, and farms in undeveloped areas. Doubly so today, when many can earn a parnasah using the internet or telecommuting. why must we pack into a small place like rats?
New Jersey will have to raise it’s taxes now to help defray the costs of supporting these large families whose fathers don’t work.
Maybe it’s time some of these full time learners go out and work, so that their parents and in-laws can retire and enjoy their own lives without having to support them.
Hey all you anti learners . The majority of Lakewood is NOT in Kollel . Regular balebatim also believe in having large families . Sorry if that bothers you but we will have as many children as Hashem gives us iy:h