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The Harmony Projects Committee Petition
Harmony Projects committee, part of the non-profit Phillipsburg Riverview Organization, is now circulating a petition for public signature. Environmental problems with the Dowel/Centex development may make its construction infeasible; this petition will ask the Township government to take steps to prepare plans for Harmony that do NOT include Dowel/Centex, or any other huge high-density development. This is a crucial step toward saving Harmony from this devastating development.
The text of the Petition – We the undersigned hereby petition the Township Committee of the Township of Harmony to immediately direct its professionals to examine alternative plans for compliance with the Township's COAH "fair share" affordable housing obligation. Due to ongoing concerns as to the viability and feasibility of the proposed River Walk subdivision, the Township must obtain professional advice within the next 30 days concerning (1) the feasibility of the River Walk project, and (2) how the Township can draft a COAH plan without River Walk.
Explanation of the Petition – The State of New Jersey, in a process supervised by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), requires municipalities to submit and follow plans that provide affordable housing opportunities for moderate- and low-income families. COAH specifies the number and type of housing units, and their pricing, for each municipality.
Today, Harmony has a COAH-approved plan that includes 36 units of affordable housing in the Dowel/Centex "River Walk" subdivision. Because environmental and engineering problems with the Dowel/Centex site may prevent construction of this development as presently designed, Harmony may, in the very near future, need a new COAH plan for meeting its affordable housing obligation without "River Walk".
Without a new COAH plan, the Township could be sued by other developers seeking to force Harmony to accept other huge high-density subdivisions. We believe that the Township Committee must protect the Township by immediately engaging its professional advisers in preparing an alternative COAH plan.