It's an easy bet that most of Hudsons residential areas are already zoned for 1 or 2 already.

It's ridiculous opinion polls like this that result in reduced density zoning that won't allow a new infill 3 or 4 family in a older row of them, resulting in a disjointed looking ugly block like mine. Suburban zoning for an existing rowhouse district is vandalism.

Say what you will about Hoboken, but they don't force the aesthetically struggling areas outside the historic districts to look even crappier. The new infill fits in as far as setbacks and density.

Quote:
So, the majority of our county wants more urban sprawl?

"While developers are having little trouble filling their high-rise condominium projects - sometimes selling out even before a shovel hits the ground..."

Is this entirely true or just based on hype?

Hudson residents say: Build smaller
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

While developers are having little trouble filling their high-rise condominium projects - sometimes selling out even before a shovel hits the ground - residents are clamoring for something smaller.

A majority of Hudson County residents want more single-and two-family homes built in the region, and fewer of the condos and luxury homes that are currently driving the real estate market, according to a Jersey Journal/New Jersey City University poll.

Less than 8 percent of the respondents said they want more condos built in their neighborhoods, while a whopping 60 percent of the respondents said they want more one-or two-family homes.

A little more than 13 percent want luxury homes; just under 4 percent want stores; 4 percent want apartments and 2 percent want offices.

The backlash against condos and luxury homes isn't just a "not-in-my-backyard" phenomenon: The results were almost identical when respondents were asked what they'd like to see built elsewhere in Hudson County.

So many residents preferring small-scale development over huge projects might pose serious problems for local politicians, according to the poll's supervisors, Bruce Chadwick of the English Department and Fran Moran of the political science department.

So, it's not surprising that a majority of residents - 58 percent - believe government officials have a different opinion than they do when it comes to a development wish list.

Less than 17 percent of the respondents felt government officials shared their opinion and 26 percent said they didn't know either way.

The current and future development landscape in Jersey City, the county's largest city, shows the disconnect between government officials and residents.

There are currently more than 90 projects that are either proposed or under way in Jersey City, according to the city's Division of Planning. The overwhelming majority of the projects are high-density, condo developments that will produce more than 9,000 total units when complete.

Joe Seneca, professor of economics and politics at Rutgers University's Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, says the pressure of high real estate properties is sending the market sky-high - literally and figuratively.

"In a hot real estate market like Hudson County, land becomes so valuable that density becomes highly lucrative and developers build upward to take advantage," Seneca said, leading to ever-taller buildings - and fewer of the small one-and two-family homes that residents evidently prefer.

Seneca added that while condos are often out of the price range of the average buyer, they can also help stabilize the market.

"Much of this is dictated by the law of supply and demand," Seneca said. "The condos add to the supply of the market and reduce the demand, and can lower prices overall."