On Monday, residents in Newton, N.J., attended a seminar sponsored by the township to talk about the implication of designating a redevelopment area in the city. Unsurprisingly, most of the questions from the 70 attendees concerned eminent domain. The New Jersey Herald has more.
It seems that these Newton residents are doing exactly what they should be doing: attending public meetings and being skeptical enough to persevere in asking questions about eminent domain. It’s hard to emphasize enough, however, how important it is to begin doing this as early as possible. In this situation, residents got letters notifying them about the redevelopment areas the day after Thanksgiving.
The Newton Town Council later designated two areas “in need of redevelopment” in December. In response to criticism from residents, the planning board trimmed the size of one of those areas. According to the Herald, the town is considering a proposal from K. Hovnanian, the developer benefiting from eminent domain in Long Branch; the proposal presents plans for not just three, but six, areas of Newton.