The Township is now trying to harness this momentum and public interest into a Master Plan and zoning revision. Unfortunately, these current efforts reflect land-use planning after the fact, rather than the reverse. It is important to note that establishing the true cost of development is difficult if not impossible. There are a tremendous number of variables that must be accounted for when determining the impact of a development of this size. As such, the calculations are often suspect and can lead to public confusion.
Impact analyses tend to reflect primary, rather than long-term secondary impacts of development.
For instance, the fiscal impact analysis submitted by Merrill Lynch conveys the benefits of the project without reflecting some of the negative impacts on the Township and neighboring communities, such as increased traffic and the likely need for additional taxes for new schools and services. It is important that local governments perform their own analyses to reflect a variety of possible conditions and outcomes. In order to affect change at the local level, it is necessary to improve municipal capacity to plan for and accommodate growth. The impact of the Merrill Lynch proposal was a late wake-up call to many citizens in Hopewell Township and the surrounding municipalities. This does not have to be the case.