Photo by Jim Occi

I’ve been told Governor Chris Christie and his wife once lived in Cranford. It’s one of the best places in NJ to call home, however, I sincerely hope that this means he has a grasp of the challenges we are facing here, especially the complex issue of flooding and the development of the property at Birchwood Ave.. I also hope that our Governor’s recent decision to disolve the Council on Affordable Housing will help Cranford escape the grip of the unreasonable demands of COAH regulations regarding affordable housing and the development of Birchwood Ave.. It is nonsensical to erect a 360 unit, high density housing development in an area that is prone to severe flooding. Isn’t Cranford developed enough? Isn’t the flooding issue already out of control? We have FEMA assisting families with unlivable properties at the exact time the NJ state government attempts to force more people to live in an area of Cranford with a history of flooding. In my opinion, it makes more sense for the state to focus on the real issues of flood control rather than allowing Cranford to fall prey to the unfortunate legacies of COAH and the Mt. Laurel decision.

Mitigating the flooding problems in Cranford is a challenging prospect. Some potential solutions include the deepening of the Lenape Basin, strengthening the dikes along Riverside Drive and Bluff Street, and using the Birchwood Ave.nue property as a natural catch basin for flood water. One thing that certainly will NOT help the flooding issue is to build 5 story buildings on land that floods. Doing so could have disastrous results for the people who live there, and also for the surrounding neighborhoods.

According to Mayor Dan Aschenbach, the property at Birchwood, which is prone to flooding, could be eligible for the Blue Acres Program, a New Jersey State grant program which would repurpose the land for recreation and conservation. Through this program,

“Properties (including structures) that have been damaged by, or may be prone to incurring damage caused by, storms or storm-related flooding, or that may buffer or protect other lands from such damage, are eligible for acquisition.”

One would think that the Birchwood Ave. property with it’s history of flooding (photos 2007 & 2011) would fall under this category. Properly repurposed, this land could help by acting as a catch basin for excess water.

Although the area of Birchwood Ave. could be potentially useful for flood control in Cranford, the S. Hekemian Group filed suit against the township. It’s claim is that Cranford does not have sufficient low and moderate income housing, which their proposed development project at Birchwood would provide. Peter Hekemian, the developer, filed a builders remedy lawsuit against Cranford citing COAH regulations. So far, Hekemian has been successful and the project continues to move forward with little regard to the concerns of the town’s officials and residents. There is precious little time left to make ourselves heard.

Sadly, the recent damage caused by Hurricane Irene only undersores the poor decision to move forward with the Birchwood Ave. development project. With hundreds of homes severely damaged by flooding, and no real flood mitigation plan in place, isn’t the idea of more building in flood prone areas simply absurd? Please, Governor Christie, PLEASE come to Cranford and use your common sense approach to address an issue that clearly needs it. Come see for yourself how at risk this town is, and put a stop to the development at Birchwood before it is too late.  We don’t want to be “underwater” any more.