School District Regionalization: The Land-Use Connection

August 22nd, 2016 by Tim Evans

Will school district consolidation save New Jersey taxpayers money? It might, but equally important, it might lead to better land-use decisions that preserve open space, reinvigorate downtowns and main streets, and relieve the pressure on towns to expand sprawling infrastructure. This article delves into and explains the little-understood relationship between how we pay for our schools in New Jersey and the land-use development decision-making our local leaders get backed into making. Spoiler alert: A move to more regional school districts would diffuse the fiscal effects of land development and allow local officials to concentrate less on “What ratable do we need?” or “How many school kids is this development going to generate?” and more on “What land uses are best for our community?”

Read the full article.

Posted in Cities and Towns, Community Design, Development and Redevelopment, Economic Development, Issue Briefs, Local Planning, Planning and Governance, Regional Planning, Research and Publications

---

Comments are closed.