The proposed EAI Hamptons 396 house mega sprawl development is both a travesty and an anachronism that should never be built. Not only is it environmentally destructive to the Alpha grasslands but it also makes little economic sense presently as we are undergoing a major financial crisis. It is entirely reasonable to expect the still overvalued real estate market to continue to deflate and perhaps at an even brisker pace come next year. If COAH wants "affordable housing" then I suggest they continue to check our local real estate listings (but watch out for that falling knife!). As an alternative to this doomed project, I propose that this parcel of land should be used to spearhead and showcase the new forms of both housing and agriculture that will be required in our near, fossil-fuel depleted future.The main components of this plan would be:
1. Establishment of new Agricultural Center or Community Food Center modeled along the lines of what the non-profit org, Growing Power has already done in Milwaukee. (Links provided below.)
2. The building of a limited number of passive house (aka PassivHaus) homesteads on minimum 5-acre lots. (Linked below).
Some of the benefits of this plan would be:
1.Saving the rural character of Pohatcong by gradually replacing old, commodity farming-that requires high petroleum based inputs- with a new, more varied menu of sustainable practices.
2.Passive housing is carbon-neutral and will not impact the environment of our community.
3.Localized food production gives all the families of Pohatcong a secure food source in the future making us less dependent upon the current tenuous, just-in-time of food distribution network (Note: In event of an emergency, the shelves in your local big-box supermarket would be stripped bare in about 3 days.)
There are of course, more complexities to a plan of this type but I am keeping things intentionally brief for now.
Please follow the links below for more information and details on the major components of this proposal and feel free to respond with comments:
Growing Power: Growing Power
Passive House:Passive house - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
