The Saturation Point

Don’t Put All the Blame on the Developers

Was the Rutgers Study a Waste of Time?

Perth Amboy is crowded. Not just crowded but congested. Even though we had projects and tall buildings that were demolished (e.g. The Stockton Building and The Huntington Building) others took their place (e.g. King Plaza which probably has more apartments than the other two combined). Over the past 25 years, Perth Amboy has seen the rise of Harbortown, Hidden Village, and Landings. The addition of Harbortown is still being constructed in units.

In 2013 The Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy gave the results of their study on Perth Amboy. We urge you to go to www.amboyguardian.com look at past issues and download the 1/8/14 issue of the Amboy Guardian and see the front cover on the right hand side.

One result of their study stated as of 2013 Perth Amboy was 6.9% more congested than any municipality in Middlesex County. I’d say it’s a sure bet that number has increased over the past four years.

Now there are proposed developments such as Seagate, Riverwalk and the Transit Village project which will bring thousands more people to Perth Amboy. Perth Amboy is 5.957 sq mi, of which 4.702 sq mi is land. Where are these people going to fit? The 2015 estimated population is 52,682. If you count the illegal housing, the population of Perth Amboy is easily over 85,000 – probably more.

If you think driving in Perth Amboy is difficult now, how will it be years from now when the population increases to even more?

Where are these people going to go to school or drive on the already congested streets? We have to stop going backwards. We got rid of high rise apartment complexes because of overcrowding. Now we are doing just the opposite of what the Rutgers Bloustein study recommended. Don’t put all the blame on the developers’ shoulders because they have to have all their projects approved. It seems as though the citizens’ complaints about overcrowding are falling upon deaf ears. When all those apartment buildings were demolished, all the new units coming up will more than exceed what was taken down.

Just look around. The City Council justifiably has complained about all the City streets being continuously dug up and repaved. That should give you a clue that something is amiss regarding our aging infrastructure. There is a saying: “If these walls can talk…” I tell you right now – the streets are talking! But it seems like they are not being heard.

In 2012 when we had our Mayor Forum we asked what could you do immediately about the condition of outer State Street as people come driving in form Sewaren. Most people went right to the Celotex property. We were thinking about some plants or shrubs to cover the ugliness. It is important that the E-Port Logistics Center is completed.

We are not concerned which administration started a project. What is important is a projectthat benefits a City is followed through and completed. We give a thumbs up to E-Port. Towns close by (i.e. Carteret and Woodbridge) have warehouses to employ their residents coming in. Just look at our paper where Amazon has been looking for jobs in Carteret. There is no reason why we can’t have those warehouses in Perth Amboy.

Staffing agencies have been booming in Perth Amboy because people need transportation to jobs out of town. We have enough space to make the E-Port Logistics Center successful. The record of the company who made the presentation at the 1/9/17 Caucus seemed to be on point.

Let’s get more jobs here so our residents can spend their money here.  C.M. & K.M.