Children, seniors won't benefit from proposed new homes

As a 40-year resident of Sayreville, I've seen our town grow and change, expand and explode.

When reading about the development of the National Lead site, I'm obviously excited to hear the possibilities being considered. However, when hearing about borough officials presenting a limit of 2,000 housing units, my response is, "Are they kidding?" One thing we're being told is that these homes "will not be attractive to couples with children." Well, that's what we were told about several other developments in Sayreville.

Now, our schools are busting at the seams, our children have been rerouted, rearranged and redistricted to the limits. Our Board of Education is repeatedly pinching pennies to stretch every dollar of annual budgets that are historically and continually defeated by taxpayers. Our senior citizens are finding it nearly impossible to stay in Sayreville as a result of fewer homes being affordable and taxes continuing to increase.

With the explosion of residential housing and the decrease of industries such as DuPont and Hercules affecting the tax rates in our town, it's obvious we are in a crisis. It seems to me the only plan outlined in articles is one that includes retail and industry that will absorb some of our tax burden while providing affordable age-restricted housing for those who have built this town and watched it grow.

Not only am I a mother of four who was raised and educated in Sayreville schools and chooses to raise her children here, I also am attempting to share my parents' senior years with them right next door. What a wonderful thing it is to see the many families with several generations making memories here. Neither our children nor our senior citizens (the true treasure of Sayreville) benefit from the possibility of 2,000 additional nonrestricted homes in Sayreville.

I implore our officials to reconsider their plans and rearrange their priorities.

Judy Gary

Sayreville