Future without Fort Monmouth Bayshore Courier News Posted:06/18/10
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Eatontown – The Assembly Appropriations Committee passed the Monmouth Economic Revitalization Act unanimously Thursday, according to a press release.
From here, the bill must also be heard by the Senate Budget Committee, and then passed by a final vote on the floors of both houses. Once the bill is passed, and the authority created, the federal government will have an entity to which to transfer the Fort Monmouth property after its gates fall in 2011.
"It's been quite a process," said Senator Jennifer Beck, "especially considering that the announcement of the fort's closure came in 2005. Since then, the three host municipalities, the surrounding region, the county and the State have all been working to strike the correct balance of interests so that when the gates do come down, we will be ready to deal with 1,100 acres of space now available for residential, commercial and open space use. The plan has been formed, and once the authority is formed, with a full five voting members that are residents of Monmouth County, we'll be ready to cope with a future without Fort Monmouth."
"We have worked to be truly responsive to the needs of the local and regional interests we represent," said Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon. "In doing so, we have created more than a dozen amendments that speak directly to the concerns we have heard. The amendment that requires a supermajority of seven of nine of the voting members for any major decision, combined with having a majority of five of nine of the voting members from Monmouth County will ensure that the needs of the people who are most effected by the fort's closure are being met."
"Future development on the fort property has been a major concern for residents of the host communities," said Assemblywoman Casagrande. "The amendments that are now in place require that the municipalities have control over the density of development within their borders. Home rule is important to New Jerseyans, and I am glad to see this amendment in place to protect the character of our communities.
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