Warren, NJ 07059 -
Community Information
One of the most attractive communities in
New Jersey, Warren Township, has a great
history and an even greater future.
Originally, Warren Township was inhabited by
the Lanape Indians. European farmers settled
the territory in the early 1700's; and in
1806 Warren was carved from part of
surrounding towns and incorporated. The town
was named after General Joseph Warren who
was a hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill
during the American Revolution. Planning
will soon commence for the celebration of
Warren Township's 200th anniversary.
Warren Township has 19.3 square miles. It is nestled in the Watchung
Mountains. Once described as "the greenest place in New Jersey", Warren
Township residents and elected officials are working to keep its rural
character and charm while recognizing that there will be growth due to
the town's beauty, favorable property taxes and strategic location.
Less than 35 miles to Manhattan makes Warren Township a favorite suburb
for commuters to New York City. Businesses and residents alike chose
Warren as their home because of the access to major roads and resources.
Warren is positioned between route 78, route 22 and route 287. It is
close to major shopping centers and great restaurants.
The central business district of Warren Township is thriving. The
nominal vacancy rate is approx. 5%. With the telecommunications industry
downturn, we have seen office vacancies off exits 33 and 36. The
buildings, once occupied by Lucent and AT&T, are now available for
lease.
Warren Township is the location of over 350 businesses. These include
restaurants, retail, and manufacturing & office occupancies. The Master
Plan has kept our commercial and industrial growth to only a few main
streets. Most of the commercial property is found on Mountain Boulevard,
Mount Bethel and Sterling Road.
The Township Committee revised the Master Plan in 2001. The purpose was
to control growth in such a way as to maintain the rural character of
the town and insure that our services were not strained. The process
started with a survey of the residents. The questions ranged from open
space usage to age restricted housing. The results demonstrated a strong
desire to keep some of the large farm and woodland tracts of land
undeveloped, to improve the town center and to provide for recreational
needs.
The Committee set goals to meet the needs of the community. The first
step was the writing and approval of several new ordinances. They
included one that increase residential lot size; another that required
cul-de-sacs to have a minimum number of six lots; and another that
eliminated bonus lots for developers. These along with an aggressive
land acquisition policy have significantly reduced the number of future
new homes.
Numerous complaints were recorded over the number of trees being removed
by developers. This was addressed by the revision of our tree removal
ordinance. Very specific guidelines were set regarding the purpose for
removal and the number of trees that could be removed. Fines were
established and our tree replacement program was enhanced.
The survey results were also very clear in the need for restricted age
housing. A significant portion of Warren's residents are seniors and
many would like to stay in town but do not want the responsibilities of
maintaining a home. The Committee looked at several sites that could
accommodate a development and selected one on Washington Valley Road.
The location is close enough to the center of town to allow the future
residents to walk to the shopping centers and the Town Hall.
This development will be restricted to age 55 and older. As we do not
anticipate many children in the development, our school system will not
be burdened and this tax base will provide the added benefit of
improving the property taxes for all property owners.
An additional goal of the Township Committee was to increase
recreational opportunities. Although the vast majority of our open space
land acquisition will remain natural, we were able to meet the needs of
our youth sports programs with the building of two all-purpose fields on
the Duderstadt Farm. The first soccer games were played on one of these
fields in September. The coach of the opposing team from Westfield said
that she hadn't played on such nice fields since college. Plans are also
underway for a Football Complex at the Myers Farm across the street from
the Middle School and a Community Center at a central location.
Like all suburban communities, the town's population is growing. In
1980, the census reported 9,805. The latest 2000 report showed nearly a
50% increase to 14,259 residents. The following are excerpts from the
report:
|
Population 16 years and older |
10,385 |
|
Labor Force Unemployed |
1.1% |
|
Per Capita Income |
$49,475 |
|
Household 1999 income $200,000
or more |
23.7% |
To assess and meet the growing needs of the town, various committees
were formed over the years. One of the most recently established is the
Open Space Committee. They analyzed the potential development of the
town and recommended the purchasing of land to preserve it for public
use. Over the last four years, the Town and/or Somerset County purchased
over 400 acres. Most of this space would have been used for residential
development. The purchases included the Wagner Farm on Mountain Avenue
and the Meyers Farm on Old Sterling Road. Not all of the open space was
at a cost to Warren Township or the County. A very large parcel, which
included a pond, was donated to Warren Township by Atlantic Development
and is now used as a nature trail and the home of our fishing derby.
Mount Bethel Meeting House Another Committee, that has made a
significant difference in our quality of life, is the Historical Sites
Committee. They were formed in 1971and members are appointed by the
governing body to administer municipally owned historic landmarks. These
landmark properties include the Mount Bethel Meeting House and the Kirch-Ford
House. The Meeting House dates back to mid-1700 and is listed on the
National Register.
Although Warren Township is changing, the past will never be forgotten.
Those
who have come before us are remembered for their contributions great and
small as farmers and builders, teachers and ministers, and bankers and
lawyers.
Source: http://www.warrennj.org/
IMPORTANT WARREN COMMUNITY
LINKS
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Judith Weiniger,
Broker/Salesperson
REMAX Premier
60 Mountain Boulevard
Warren NJ 07059
Phone: 908-754-1500 |
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