The overdevelopment of Livingston in recent years has become an unavoidable topic of discussion. As more and more construction commences in town, or is proposed to be built, it directly affects a greater number of residents. This includes some people that had no idea they even had anything to be concerned about before a builder took a look at a nearby property and decided they wanted to do more with it.
As everyone knows by now, the former Bottle King property at 45 South Livingston Avenue has been the most recent lightning rod, but it was not the first and will likely not be the last. For proof, one needs to look no further than recent Planning Board meetings, where 39 West Northfield Road, formerly home to New York Sports Club, has been a topic of discussion. The developer is proposing turning that existing building into a two-story Summit Health medical office.
Residents have several issues with this plan, but the main one is the removal of trees that act as a buffer between the adjacent neighborhood and the commercial area. The trees would be removed, according to the landscape architect for the project, due to their poor condition. In their place, 101 new trees would be planted.
Residents expressed their concerns both before the Planning Board, who will ultimately approve or deny the project, and also with the Township Council. During a Council meeting last month, one woman spoke through tears about how the project would make her home and neighborhood worse for her children. The neighbors’ request to have an adequate buffer between their home and a medical office is a reasonable one, and we hope their concerns are properly addressed in the final plans.
Surely, after years of extensive development in town, many would prefer if our governing bodies said “no” to just about every major proposal that is brought in front of them. Of course, this is not realistic, and in many instances would not be beneficial to the town. But, at the very least, we expect them to make these projects less harmful to nearby residents in any way possible. When the request is as simple as adding more trees, something this town could certainly use more of, we need to do everything we can to make it happen.
And while we are on the topic of trees, the Township Council has expressed a desire to plant more trees in town for several years. At one point, we even had a “Tree Czar” in place to help locate the best spots and facilitate planting them. There is money set aside to plant trees at the moment just waiting to be used. Perhaps a good place to look into planting is around new developments, starting with this project on 39 West Northfield Road. I’m sure those near this project, or 45 South Livingston Avenue, for that matter, would agree.
