The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Editor’s Note: This open letter is in response to a letter received by Mayor Kramer from the state Chamber of Commerce president, asking the Mayor to support the Schoolhouse Road B9 warehouses development.
Dear Mr. Bracken:
I am in receipt of your letter in support of the B9 warehouse project and thank you for reaching out to me. I share your concern regarding the importance of maintaining economic growth in our state both for the purpose of increasing jobs and increasing non-residential tax revenue.
As Mayor of Franklin Township, I am proud of the record we have built in terms of generating a balance when it comes to promoting economic development in our community. Over the years we have seen a solid mix of growth which includes a healthy combination of residential, retail, industrial, and warehouse development that has benefited our community in multiple ways, including through the provision of a significant amount of non-residential tax revenue.
However as you know, there are many factors to consider when it comes to the planning process in a community other than just monetary considerations. How will this development affect the health of our residents? What impact will this development have on our local traffic? What impact will this development have on a particular neighborhood? Will the quality of life of our residents be affected to such a negative extent that those impacts outweigh any monetary benefits that may otherwise be realized? Has one type of development become so burdensome that it’s negative effects begin to overwhelm the well-being of the other residents and businesses in a community. All of these factors are important, and it is critical that all aspects be considered when deciding what is in the best interests of the community as a whole.
My guess is that at the time of your correspondence to me, you had not been made aware of any specifics in regard to the current budget or fiscal situation specific to our community. I would also venture to say that you also had probably not been brought up to speed on the current number of warehouses in Franklin Township, the total number already approved but not yet built, nor the extent to which traffic has increased throughout Franklin and its neighboring communities. I would also guess that you had not been made specifically aware of the proximity of some of these warehouses to specific homes, nor the fact that many of these warehouses conduct 24 hour operations and that our effort to limit the hours of operations has resulted in Link Logic suing us.
I do not know why you write to me. This is before the Planning Board. It would be improper for me to speak to a board member and attempt to persuade them how to vote. I have not and will not do that. We take pride in the fact that members of our Planning Board take their responsibilities seriously and make decisions based on the best interests of our town as a whole. As Mayor, my responsibility is to stand up for the residents of Franklin Township. That is what I have always done, and that is what I will continue to do throughout my tenure in public office.
As President and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, you stand for commerce. As Mayor of Franklin Township, I stand for the people of Franklin. I take that seriously, and it is my position that this project is not in the best interests of Franklin residents and therefore I will not support it.
