Edison Voters To Decide On Open Space Trust Fund This Election

EDISON, NJ — A local advocacy group, Open Space 21, is gathering support from Edison residents to vote “yes” on an open space question on the ballot this November.

The nonpartisan initiative hopes to create an Open Space Trust Fund to improve and finance playgrounds, parks, sports fields, and more in the Township. Two Edison residents — Bruce Diamond and Walter R. Stochel Jr., are leading this initiative.

“In 1998, the township put on the ballot an open space trust fund question that was for 15 years. In 2018, they put a similar question on the ballot — to establish an Open Space Trust Fund for parks, recreation, open space, and historic preservation. But the referendum lost by 300 votes,” said Stochel.

After the referendum lost, Stochel, Diamond, and the advocacy team began talking to people and discovered that many were unaware of it.

“We found there was confusion on what the question was and people couldn't find it on the ballot. They thought it was only just to buy land and not to fix our parks and improve our recreation areas. So, when the council put it on the ballot this year, we decided to publicize it more than it was publicized in 2018,” said Stochel.

So how does this work? If passed, the trust fund will be created by charging residents and businesses 1 cent per $100 of assessed value towards open space improvement.

In Edison, the average home is assessed at $180,600 and so the average homeowner will pay $18.06 per year towards this trust fund, said Stochel. Meanwhile, the top 20 industrial commercial taxpayers will pay a total of $115,000 a year, he said.

The money from the trust fund will be reserved for park improvements, recreational areas, open space purchases, and historic preservation and cannot be used for other purposes.

Recent demonstrations in Silverlake and Plainfield neighborhoods helped push this initiative forward.

Stochel said without the open space trust fund the township stands to get a 25 percent green acres grant. But with the trust fund and an open space plan, Edison would receive a 50 percent green acres grant.

Edison currently has around 22 parks and 1,110 underdeveloped acres of parkland.

Around 230 towns in New Jersey have the Open Space Trust Fund. “Both the Democratic and Republic candidate for mayor have supported this question on the ballot,” said Stochel.

With the population of the township increasing every year, open space is needed more than ever. “We need to increase our parks and recreational service so that people have places to play sports, places to go to because our population is growing,” said Stochel.

“If voted down, there will be no more open space in the township. All we’ll have is more multifamily housing, overcrowded schools, and more warehouses,” Stochel said.

More details on the Open Space ballot question can be found on the township’s website: https://www.edisonnj.org/

Additional information can also be found here.

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