SAVE Union Township - Warehouse Application
SAVE Union Township - Warehouse Application
The Issue
UPDATE - November 24, 2024
Renewed Push Against Proposed Warehouses Along Route 78
We’ve just learned that the developer behind the warehouse proposal along Route 78 in Union Township in Hunterdon County intends to resubmit their application.
This proposed project is not only a threat to our local environment but also poses serious risks to the safety, health, and well-being of our community—especially our children.
The site in question is alarmingly close to our schools, where hundreds of students spend their days learning and playing during recess and doing sports outside. The increased traffic from tractor-trailers and heavy vehicles on nearby roads raises significant safety concerns, especially during school hours. Additionally, the noise and air pollution generated by round-the-clock warehouse operations would impact not just the school environment but also the surrounding neighborhoods.
Reminder of our Key Concerns:
The project threatens the delicate ecosystems of our area, including wetlands and wildlife habitats. Runoff from impervious surfaces could contaminate local waterways, while increased air pollution from diesel truck emissions would degrade the air quality for everyone, particularly vulnerable populations such as children and seniors.
Traffic and Safety Risks
The influx of commercial traffic on roads already traveled by school buses and local commuters creates dangerous conditions. These warehouses would bring a surge of heavy vehicles to an area not designed to handle such congestion, increasing the likelihood of many more accidents.
Community Quality of Life
Beyond the immediate impacts on schools, this project would bring light pollution, noise, and a steady stream of truck activity to our peaceful community, permanently altering the rural character of Union Township in the heart of Hunterdon County.
Now is the time to renew our opposition to this proposal and stand united in protecting our community. We urge all residents to attend upcoming meetings, submit comments during the public review process, and voice your concerns to local officials. Together, we can ensure that this project is halted and that the health, safety, and future of Hunterdon County remain our top priority.
As a concerned resident of Union Township, NJ, I am deeply troubled by the proposed development of warehouses in our beloved community. This petition aims to raise awareness and gather support to prevent these warehouses from being built, as they will have detrimental effects on our environment, traffic congestion, neighborhood safety, our health and overall quality of life.
Living in Union Township is a privilege. We are all here for our specific way of life. Our community is known for its tight-knit neighborhoods, rolling green hills and rural living. That is why we all live here. However, the potential construction of warehouses threatens to disrupt this harmony and compromise the very essence that makes our township so very special.
Firstly, the environmental impact cannot be ignored. Warehouses are notorious for their excessive energy consumption and carbon emissions. The scale of the warehouses proposed will have a drastic impact on our local climate and environment. According to studies conducted by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these facilities contribute significantly to air pollution due to increased truck traffic and industrial activities. We must protect our environment for future generations by preventing further degradation caused by warehouse development.
“As corporations taught consumers to expect just-in-time products and delivery, warehouses have moved closer to people’s homes in more communities than ever before, bringing harmful air pollution from trucks with them,” says Aileen Nowlan, EDF’s U.S. policy director, Global Clean Air Initiative. “It’s important to understand who is bearing the brunt of health burdens associated with living close to heavy truck traffic in order to develop and implement smart, targeted policies that protect public health and reduce emissions.”
Within approximately 500 yards trucks will travel past and idle daily, causing hazardous air pollution where our children go to school and play outside during recess. In the SGS Perryville/53 Frontage Road/Union Township warehouse development scenario, it is our children, teachers and residents who will be bearing the brunt of health burdens associated with these emissions and due to lack of political will to protect them and the greater public from this significantly additional hazardous pollution that will impact our community.
Moreover, the influx of trucks associated with warehouses will undoubtedly worsen the already hellish traffic congestion and daily accident rate on Rt 78 in Union Township, Clinton, Bethlehem and surrounding communities. The additional strain on our roads will lead to increased taxes to maintain and police, longer commute times for residents who already face daily challenges navigating through heavy traffic areas. This not only affects individuals' productivity but also poses safety risks as more vehicles, more trucks compete for already limited road space. More accident delays for our school busses, while our children now get subjected to longer rides to school through accident related traffic.
We already suffer from the impacts caused by the Pilot truck stop, that was recently allowed in our community. There has been a murder at the Pilot, increased traffic enforcement/policing needed is depleting our policing budgets, trash and bottles full of urine can be found all along where we drive to our homes and our children to school. More tax payer money now has to be deployed to deal with these impacts even before we add a 700,000 sq ft warehouse complex adding hundreds of additional trucks daily. More traffic enforcement will be needed to deal with the exponentially increased truck traffic that will be required for the hundreds of additional trucks planned for, and this will become the burden of the tax payer on a local and state level.
Bringing trucks into residential neighborhoods raises concerns about public safety. Increased truck traffic increases the likelihood of accidents occurring near schools and residential areas where children play. Additionally, noise pollution from constant truck movement can disrupt peaceful living conditions that we cherish in Union Township. For many of our residents the truck noise already coming off Rt 78 has stripped them from their quality of life. Adding the noise of hundreds of more trucks will destroy all peace in our neighborhoods. It is already hard to sleep at night in some of our neighborhoods due to the nightly truck noise racing through our community, now to explode with hundreds more trucks day and night.
The potential rise in crime rates is another alarming consequence we must consider seriously if these warehouses are allowed to be developed within our township boundaries. Studies have shown that areas surrounding large-scale commercial developments often experience an increase in criminal activities such as thefts and burglaries due to easy access points provided by extensive transportation networks associated with warehouses. In our case there has already been a murder at the Pilot Truck stop since that was recently approved to be developed. This murder happened in less than a mile from both our Middle and Elementary Schools. We cannot allow more transient folks to come into our community. It is making our community and schools unsafe.
Lastly, the overall increase in pollution caused by warehouse operations poses a direct threat to our health and well-being. The EPA has linked air pollution to various respiratory diseases, including asthma and lung cancer. We cannot allow our community's health to be compromised for the sake of profit-driven developers that do not care about the impacts on our community.
I urge all residents of Union Township to join me in signing this petition to stop warehouses from being developed within our township. Join our movement, volunteer, donate and show up for the upcoming public hearings on this matter. Let us protect our environment, preserve the safety of our neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion, prevent an increase in crime rates, and safeguard the health of ourselves and future generations.
Our current action is to represent the interests and concerns of the residents and greater Union Township and neighboring communities in regard to the impacts the warehouse sprawl and planned warehouse complex would have on the environment, safety, quality of life, traffic, noise and pollution.
Please support our fundraisers. Funds raised will be used to fund operations, hire attorneys and other relevant experts to represent the interests of the community in this application to develop 53 Frontage Road as a Warehouse Complex. The other open spaces in Union Township and Hunterdon County are sure to be next, should this development open the doors to allow warehouses. Soon our beautiful County will be overrun with trucks and warehouses. This must be stopped now, while we still can make a difference.
It is critical to raise the funds as soon as possible to continue to fund our operation.
Previous building plans submitted indicated the monstrous warehouse complex to be erected right next to the Union Township Middle School and residents are living right across from the school. Furthermore, there is a residential community right at Exit 11, where trucks are planned to travel through to this warehouse complex. I live in this community.
We are against warehouses so close to our homes and that we are expected to sacrifice our quality of life, peace and quite and community for "commerce" that does not directly benefit our community. We ARE against them to be located NEXT DOOR to our schools. As citizens and taxpayers we have a fundamental right to a livable community and that the additional tax causing burdens run up in the name of "commerce" does not just simply get shifted to the tax payer, locally or on a state level.
Together we can make a difference!
Sign this petition today and let your voice be heard!
Please share this petition widely!
U Can Make a Difference!
Thank you for your support.
Elizabeth Lotenberg
Community Organizer - UnionCAN: Union Township Citizens Action Network
1,448
The Issue
UPDATE - November 24, 2024
Renewed Push Against Proposed Warehouses Along Route 78
We’ve just learned that the developer behind the warehouse proposal along Route 78 in Union Township in Hunterdon County intends to resubmit their application.
This proposed project is not only a threat to our local environment but also poses serious risks to the safety, health, and well-being of our community—especially our children.
The site in question is alarmingly close to our schools, where hundreds of students spend their days learning and playing during recess and doing sports outside. The increased traffic from tractor-trailers and heavy vehicles on nearby roads raises significant safety concerns, especially during school hours. Additionally, the noise and air pollution generated by round-the-clock warehouse operations would impact not just the school environment but also the surrounding neighborhoods.
Reminder of our Key Concerns:
The project threatens the delicate ecosystems of our area, including wetlands and wildlife habitats. Runoff from impervious surfaces could contaminate local waterways, while increased air pollution from diesel truck emissions would degrade the air quality for everyone, particularly vulnerable populations such as children and seniors.
Traffic and Safety Risks
The influx of commercial traffic on roads already traveled by school buses and local commuters creates dangerous conditions. These warehouses would bring a surge of heavy vehicles to an area not designed to handle such congestion, increasing the likelihood of many more accidents.
Community Quality of Life
Beyond the immediate impacts on schools, this project would bring light pollution, noise, and a steady stream of truck activity to our peaceful community, permanently altering the rural character of Union Township in the heart of Hunterdon County.
Now is the time to renew our opposition to this proposal and stand united in protecting our community. We urge all residents to attend upcoming meetings, submit comments during the public review process, and voice your concerns to local officials. Together, we can ensure that this project is halted and that the health, safety, and future of Hunterdon County remain our top priority.
As a concerned resident of Union Township, NJ, I am deeply troubled by the proposed development of warehouses in our beloved community. This petition aims to raise awareness and gather support to prevent these warehouses from being built, as they will have detrimental effects on our environment, traffic congestion, neighborhood safety, our health and overall quality of life.
Living in Union Township is a privilege. We are all here for our specific way of life. Our community is known for its tight-knit neighborhoods, rolling green hills and rural living. That is why we all live here. However, the potential construction of warehouses threatens to disrupt this harmony and compromise the very essence that makes our township so very special.
Firstly, the environmental impact cannot be ignored. Warehouses are notorious for their excessive energy consumption and carbon emissions. The scale of the warehouses proposed will have a drastic impact on our local climate and environment. According to studies conducted by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these facilities contribute significantly to air pollution due to increased truck traffic and industrial activities. We must protect our environment for future generations by preventing further degradation caused by warehouse development.
“As corporations taught consumers to expect just-in-time products and delivery, warehouses have moved closer to people’s homes in more communities than ever before, bringing harmful air pollution from trucks with them,” says Aileen Nowlan, EDF’s U.S. policy director, Global Clean Air Initiative. “It’s important to understand who is bearing the brunt of health burdens associated with living close to heavy truck traffic in order to develop and implement smart, targeted policies that protect public health and reduce emissions.”
Within approximately 500 yards trucks will travel past and idle daily, causing hazardous air pollution where our children go to school and play outside during recess. In the SGS Perryville/53 Frontage Road/Union Township warehouse development scenario, it is our children, teachers and residents who will be bearing the brunt of health burdens associated with these emissions and due to lack of political will to protect them and the greater public from this significantly additional hazardous pollution that will impact our community.
Moreover, the influx of trucks associated with warehouses will undoubtedly worsen the already hellish traffic congestion and daily accident rate on Rt 78 in Union Township, Clinton, Bethlehem and surrounding communities. The additional strain on our roads will lead to increased taxes to maintain and police, longer commute times for residents who already face daily challenges navigating through heavy traffic areas. This not only affects individuals' productivity but also poses safety risks as more vehicles, more trucks compete for already limited road space. More accident delays for our school busses, while our children now get subjected to longer rides to school through accident related traffic.
We already suffer from the impacts caused by the Pilot truck stop, that was recently allowed in our community. There has been a murder at the Pilot, increased traffic enforcement/policing needed is depleting our policing budgets, trash and bottles full of urine can be found all along where we drive to our homes and our children to school. More tax payer money now has to be deployed to deal with these impacts even before we add a 700,000 sq ft warehouse complex adding hundreds of additional trucks daily. More traffic enforcement will be needed to deal with the exponentially increased truck traffic that will be required for the hundreds of additional trucks planned for, and this will become the burden of the tax payer on a local and state level.
Bringing trucks into residential neighborhoods raises concerns about public safety. Increased truck traffic increases the likelihood of accidents occurring near schools and residential areas where children play. Additionally, noise pollution from constant truck movement can disrupt peaceful living conditions that we cherish in Union Township. For many of our residents the truck noise already coming off Rt 78 has stripped them from their quality of life. Adding the noise of hundreds of more trucks will destroy all peace in our neighborhoods. It is already hard to sleep at night in some of our neighborhoods due to the nightly truck noise racing through our community, now to explode with hundreds more trucks day and night.
The potential rise in crime rates is another alarming consequence we must consider seriously if these warehouses are allowed to be developed within our township boundaries. Studies have shown that areas surrounding large-scale commercial developments often experience an increase in criminal activities such as thefts and burglaries due to easy access points provided by extensive transportation networks associated with warehouses. In our case there has already been a murder at the Pilot Truck stop since that was recently approved to be developed. This murder happened in less than a mile from both our Middle and Elementary Schools. We cannot allow more transient folks to come into our community. It is making our community and schools unsafe.
Lastly, the overall increase in pollution caused by warehouse operations poses a direct threat to our health and well-being. The EPA has linked air pollution to various respiratory diseases, including asthma and lung cancer. We cannot allow our community's health to be compromised for the sake of profit-driven developers that do not care about the impacts on our community.
I urge all residents of Union Township to join me in signing this petition to stop warehouses from being developed within our township. Join our movement, volunteer, donate and show up for the upcoming public hearings on this matter. Let us protect our environment, preserve the safety of our neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion, prevent an increase in crime rates, and safeguard the health of ourselves and future generations.
Our current action is to represent the interests and concerns of the residents and greater Union Township and neighboring communities in regard to the impacts the warehouse sprawl and planned warehouse complex would have on the environment, safety, quality of life, traffic, noise and pollution.
Please support our fundraisers. Funds raised will be used to fund operations, hire attorneys and other relevant experts to represent the interests of the community in this application to develop 53 Frontage Road as a Warehouse Complex. The other open spaces in Union Township and Hunterdon County are sure to be next, should this development open the doors to allow warehouses. Soon our beautiful County will be overrun with trucks and warehouses. This must be stopped now, while we still can make a difference.
It is critical to raise the funds as soon as possible to continue to fund our operation.
Previous building plans submitted indicated the monstrous warehouse complex to be erected right next to the Union Township Middle School and residents are living right across from the school. Furthermore, there is a residential community right at Exit 11, where trucks are planned to travel through to this warehouse complex. I live in this community.
We are against warehouses so close to our homes and that we are expected to sacrifice our quality of life, peace and quite and community for "commerce" that does not directly benefit our community. We ARE against them to be located NEXT DOOR to our schools. As citizens and taxpayers we have a fundamental right to a livable community and that the additional tax causing burdens run up in the name of "commerce" does not just simply get shifted to the tax payer, locally or on a state level.
Together we can make a difference!
Sign this petition today and let your voice be heard!
Please share this petition widely!
U Can Make a Difference!
Thank you for your support.
Elizabeth Lotenberg
Community Organizer - UnionCAN: Union Township Citizens Action Network
1,448
Supporter Voices
Petition created on September 29, 2023