Dear Editor:
The lies and excuses never cease coming from North Bergen Town hall. I refer to the recent article (Superstore can be hazardous, January 2) about the atrocious number of accidents along Tonnelle Avenue near the mega–shopping center anchored by Wal-Mart.
The construction of that mall has been a major safety hazard and neighborhood headache since it was under construction. Last year residents poured in to planning board and town commission meetings to complain about the traffic, the auto accidents and air pollution caused by the unwise overdevelopment. We were dismissed as political crybabies and demeaned by town officials for having the gall to show up to vent our concern.
Now that the Jersey Journal has exposed the horrendous toll this development is taking on the town’s people and the neighborhood, noting there were 191 reportable car accidents since the monstrosity opened, the town spokesman for Mayor Sacco is again twisting the truth.
Last year, we were told the traffic was temporary and that any blame for traffic rests with the state.
Well the state didn’t grant zoning approval for the shopping mega mess: the town did. Now we are told by the towns spokesman that all the accidents, the traffic delays, the pollution from cars and trucks is worth it because after all the development has “created thousands of jobs and adds hundreds of million of dollars to the tax ratable base, helping keep property taxes stable, some additional traffic in the area is not surprising.”
What a bunch of nonsense. Where are these thousands of jobs? How many thousands two, three, four thousand? How many residents of North Bergen got the jobs?
As for the “hundred of millions of dollars in tax ratables” that’s just preposterous. First of all the town gave the developer a generous tax break at the expense of home owners. Secondly, if the development was being taxed for “hundreds of millions of dollars” that would mean tens of millions of dollars would be pouring into town hall from this one development alone. At that rate, there would be no need to tax any homeowner in town a dime. But as we all know, property taxes, on top of taxes and other fees are being levied on homeowners in healthy sums to support the true political hacks who are making six figure salaries working for the town, one of its agencies or the school board.
The bald fact is that the Wal-Mart shopping center was badly planned, poorly implemented and is not much of a benefit to anyone other than the politicians.
Marissa Suarez