Why we're asking Milford Township to vote down its density amendment

To the Editor:

Our concerned group has been attending regular supervisor and planning commission meetings in the municipality.

We've been expressing consternation, disbelief, and frustration with the proposed high-density amendment on a portion of Santos Farm. The reason: the impact on all of us, primarily in services, livability, and tourism.

The unusual protocol in the creation of the amendment bypasses cautionary red flags, normal impact studies, requested cooperative planning with Milford Borough, and the traditionally sound land-use governance of the township: witness the nicely spaced businesses and residential areas along the three-lane.

For starters, the township had to have met with the developer before any kind of official proposal, acceded to the project's density requirement, and then created an ordinance change to match it

Once the public become aware of what had transpired, it communicated its displeasure in several ways: it trounced the presiding member of the supervisors in a primary election; had 150 sign a petition for public notification; and attended every possible meeting to voice its disapproval over four months.

You would think that this would have given the people in charge pause to say maybe we got ahead of ourselves on this one.

There is a public hearing coming up in September to be immediately followed by a vote. This is our last chance to convince two out of the three supervisors to vote down the amendment.

High-density apartment buildings on one 20-acre parcel (not to mention to likelihood of several more) on the three-lane will max out the traffic there and bring more stoplights, congest already congested Milford Borough and hurt its tourism, stress already diminished services, and change our area's livability forever.

Every Milford-loving citizen needs to attend this important hearing and support a density vote turn-down.

Bill Kiger

Pike Citizens for Responsible Growth (PCRG)