And opinions on how to give an ever-growing population places to live while protecting the open lands they cherish run the gamut, from those who argue for purchasing every piece of open space as quickly as possible to those who say we must learn to live with sprawl. State officials argue Gov. Whitman's plan to preserve a million acres of farms and open space more than 40 percent of the developable land left in New Jersey demonstrates her commitment to combating sprawl. But Byers argues that if state officials were really serious about controlling sprawl, the Greenbriar development in Ocean Township which had to clear numerous state regulatory hurdles never would have been approved. She argues developing the woods would destroy habitat used by protected species such as the northern pine snake and Pine Barrens tree frog. And, she adds, it would create pollution from pesticides and fertilizers that would ultimately flow into ecologically stressed Barnegat Bay less than two miles away.
Environmentalists plan to sue to block the project.
Byers is a staunch supporter of the state's Development and Redevelopment Plan, a largely underutilized document that attempts to steer growth back into urban areas. Byers, who serves on the state planning commission which developed the state plan, argues it would be more appropriate to put the Greenbriar homes in an area that has already been developed. She hopes the plan will eventually take hold among state agencies, local officials and the public. He thought he was living out post-war American dreams. He eventually struck out on his own as a developer, building his first big project a 140-unit apartment complex in New Orleans around 1967.