Township asked to put brakes on development

VERNON-Appearing as a private citizen before the council he once headed, former Mayor John Logan Monday urged officials to reconsider the zoning of lands on Route 94 west of Mountain Creek. When the township approved the town center zoning that allowed construction to begin on what will be $800 million worth of development at Mountain Creek and the new Main Street linking Route 94 at Church Street with Route 515 at the A&P Plaza, it also rezoned the rest of the township. The land west of Intrawest's property was zoned for commercial recreation, which allows housing developments. Recently, the developers of Crystal Springs came to the planning board with a concept development for that area. More proposals are expected. Logan said he fears it may be happening too fast for the township to control. He asked for a moratorium while the township studies the zoning and suggested rezoning the area for eco-tourism, which does not allow permanent housing. "More is going to be happening in Vernon in the next few years than in last 40 years," Logan said. "We've got a lot on our plate as a town. My concern is that if we allow development to sprawl all the way to McAfee, we may look back a few years from now and say we blew it. We only have one chance in this town to do this right." The council agreed further study may be needed but questioned whether a moratorium would open up the township to lawsuits.