Smith and Hobart

Rutgers School of Planning and Public Policy Brings to Light Overcrowding in Perth Amboy

–12/2013-

Remember the above headline? The Bloustien School of Planning has been called on by many municipalities because of their expertise on what is needed most to bring the best potential to their town. The Bloustein School pulls no punches. They will tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s up to each municipality as to if they want to follow the advice.

Will the City of Perth Amboy do that? Therefore, it’s important that as many residents as possible attend the Special Monday, January 29, 2018 6 p.m. meeting regardless if you’re a home owner, a renter, own commercial retail property or a business owner – even if you do not live in town.

Any way you look at it, it’s going to affect everyone’s quality of life. Unless you decide never to go outside of your house, you eventually will wander out of your neighborhood and have to go to other parts of your town where major changes may be taking effect.

Smith Street is one of the busiest streets in town and where most of the major public buses travel on. I know for a fact that the New Jersey Transit Bus Drivers always say Perth Amboy during rush hour is where they lose their most time.

Let’s not forget that we did take down two of the worst residential buildings in town: The Stockton Street Building and the Huntington Building, where there used to be a multitude of problems. This is not coming from me, but from people who used to live there and emergency personnel that used to respond to calls there.

Did it ever occur to the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency that Perth Amboy is too overcrowded? When those buildings came down, maybe we should have only rebuilt a third of what those buildings occupied. This probably would have been what the Bloustein School of Planning recommended.

A lot of our parks have been taken from us. I remember growing up on State Street, there used to be a park  near the  intersection of State Street and Hall Avenue.

Neighborhood Parks are important for everyone. Besides physical exercise, it was a way people connected with their neighbors.

I understand, times were different, but maybe it’s time to revert back to some good old fashion interaction instead of everyone texting each other and playing games on the computer.

So, do you think building more high-rise apartment buildings would make residents feel more connected? Personally, we don’t think so.

Neighborhood parks and recreational centers spread throughout the City would do this. Walking Trails that connect municipalities that are close by are one of the best ideas that are implemented. Walking is one of the most beneficial exercises that you can do. You can go at your own pace and all that is called fore is a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothing.

When living in a city, one of the most important things is the conveniences of life. One of them is not driving around the block 10 to 15 times looking for a parking space with a carload of groceries. Driving down Market Street at 10 p.m. all the way down to City Hall, one will be hard pressed to find a parking space, since 90% of spaces  are taken. Almost every single yard is filled with cars. Many delivery trucks find it difficult to make their deliveries. They often block the crosswalks, bus stops, or they are forced to double park.

Perth Amboy is considered as having one of the most overcrowded school systems in the State of New Jersey. We have two ambulances and often one from Woodbridge responding to the needs of our large population.

Just walk down Smith Street and look at the businesses that have residential apartments above them. A lot of the benches have been removed from Smith Street.

Perth Amboy wants to encourage shopping in the downtown area. Let’s not forget the shoppers with young children who take public transportation. With those benches removed, it’s very inconvenient for them with their purchases and children to stand and wait for a bus.

It’s not fair to punish those because of a few who misused those benches.

We’re hoping the turnout for the meeting is so big that they’ll have to move it to a larger location. They should have a secondary location reserved just to be on the safe side. But remember, this meeting is just to discuss this one topic and nothing else. That is what the regular council meetings are for.

As Councilman Fernando Gonzalez stated at one of the meetings, the decision that the Council or any other Boards make will affect the City for the next 35 to 40 years. See you there. C.M. & K.M. & The Amboy Ambler