Today's Star-Ledger reports one of those stories that isn't really breaking news, some homes are built in places where they never should have been built. Wayne Township is looking to buy 41 houses in Hoffman Grove so it can raze them. One of the homeowners, interviewed for the article, is actually welcoming it since owning a house in a floodplain is harder than they expected. Getting an offer that covers the mortgage is tough, but fighting this thing could turn out to be harder. Any response now is difficult and costly, with property rights, the environment, public safety and public finances all in play.
In the end, efforts like this cost a lot of money. It clearly demonstrates a major financial benefit to the community for restrictive building practices and careful site analysis, even if generous homebuilders do want to build "habitat for humans." unfortunately, weak planning boards and strong market pressures are creating a lot of problems in New Jersey that our children are going to have to pay for.
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