Relocating to NJ from DELCO PA (Beverly: townhouses, neighborhood, purchase)
New Jersey Suburbs of PhiladelphiaBurlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Salem County in South Jersey
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We are an African American family to NJ. We are concentrating on Mount Laurel based on my research of the high school (scoring and diversity). There is a home near Rancocas Woods that we really like, but want to know if this is a welcoming and diverse area of Mt Laurel. Any information is appreciated.
So, sue me. I might be totally wrong, but that seems like a spooky, redneck area. Not the whole area, but just those places that back up to the park. They don't want people walking around in their park, or parking on their street.
This middle-aged white woman showed up in a pair of North Face pants carrying a small backpack, and two grumpy guys told me to move my car. This happened in several areas where I was supposed to be able to park.
This happened ten years ago. Things may have changed, but I wouldn't count on it. Their kids probably live there now.
Mt. Laurel is legally famous for preventing the building of affordable housing within the town. The various court cases at issue led to the development of what is known as the Mt. Laurel doctrine in NJ.
I know there can be other reasons for trying to prevent the building of affordable housing, the whole issue is a good indicator of racism. Note that the plaintiff in the case was NAACP.
Mt. Laurel is legally famous for preventing the building of affordable housing within the town. The various court cases at issue led to the development of what is known as the Mt. Laurel doctrine in NJ.
I know there can be other reasons for trying to prevent the building of affordable housing, the whole issue is a good indicator of racism. Note that the plaintiff in the case was NAACP.
Not an issue of racism, it's an issue of owning land and having someone tell you what you cannot do with the land. I knew one of individuals in the case, he was a big dreamer, WWII hero, didnt come from much, but built businesses in South Jersey employing thousands of happy south Jersey families. His big life long dream was development and with his dream he purchased the land in Mt. Laurel when it was nothing more than farms a highway and some dirt roads. After 15-20 years of the purchase he wanted to sub-develop some the land along Church rd in Mt. Laurel and build these gorgeous homes for the area. He spent millions in architectural fees for designs of houses that were mid century modern type, to scottish castle homes to Victorian homes, something that was going to put the city on the map that was different. At the time he was getting permits a black woman claimed she couldn't afford to live in the city anymore (this was not her land to begin with), which got a national backing from left wing groups. Anyway a lawsuit happened that bankrupted the person I knew, he sued every public employee in the town which didnt help (mostly because how ridiculous the law was) and the dream was over. The stress and heartache from this slowly killed him and he died in the mid 1980s. Fast forward 40ish years into the future, land was sold some people just built houses, some cookie cutter homes few townhouses and public lands now have the land, nothing like the Beverly Hills dream it could have become.
Last edited by DannyHobkins; 09-10-2018 at 11:24 PM..
Not an issue of racism, it's an issue of owning land and having someone tell you what you cannot do with the land. I knew one of individuals in the case, he was a big dreamer, WWII hero, didnt come from much, but built businesses in South Jersey employing thousands of happy south Jersey families. His big life long dream was development and with his dream he purchased the land in Mt. Laurel when it was nothing more than farms a highway and some dirt roads. After 15-20 years of the purchase he wanted to sub-develop some the land along Church rd in Mt. Laurel and build these gorgeous homes for the area. He spent millions in architectural fees for designs of houses that were mid century modern type, to scottish castle homes to Victorian homes, something that was going to put the city on the map that was different. At the time he was getting permits a black woman claimed she couldn't afford to live in the city anymore (this was not her land to begin with), which got a national backing from left wing groups. Anyway a lawsuit happened that bankrupted the person I knew, he sued every public employee in the town which didnt help (mostly because how ridiculous the law was) and the dream was over. The stress and heartache from this slowly killed him and he died in the mid 1980s. Fast forward 40ish years into the future, land was sold some people just built houses, some cookie cutter homes few townhouses and public lands now have the land, nothing like the Beverly Hills dream it could have become.
I don't have any personal knowledge regarding the landowner at issue, but the legal issue of the court case is that towns in New Jersey have a history of using zoning to basically prohibit the building of affordable housing. That is, the zoning rules create a situation in which it is impossible to build homes that are "affordable." For example, zoning often includes a minimum lot size requirements, set backs, minimum square footage requirements for the home itself, parking minimums, etc. You add all those things up and you can basically set a floor price for the cheapest house you could build/buy in a town. It also just so happens that towns know that minorities tend to have less money and can't afford homes above a certain price point. So, you add all those things together and you get racism in a structural sense. That is, the structure of things is having a predictable effect on one race more than another. Of course, none of this was a secret to white-flight suburbs. They knew that if all the homes where expensive enough the town would stay mostly white. Are there other more innocent motivations for zoning, of course. But after a while you have to assume those in power have knowledge of the effects and are responsible for them regardless of original motivations. So, with the Mt. Laurel Doctrine, the New Jersey Supreme Court said that municipalities have an obligation to zone in a way that creates a certain amount of affordable housing.
We are an African American family to NJ. We are concentrating on Mount Laurel based on my research of the high school (scoring and diversity). There is a home near Rancocas Woods that we really like, but want to know if this is a welcoming and diverse area of Mt Laurel. Any information is appreciated.
Court cases aside, Mount Laurel has fairly average demographics. The current black population estimate for the ZIP is 11.3%, not far off national average, and the census tract that contains most of the Rancocas Woods area is 10.2%. Asian pop estimate is 9.2%, so overall the town is pretty diverse compared to the other "080" ZIPs.
Rancocas Woods is certainly one of the older developed areas in Mt Laurel, there's probably generational turnover. I've known a number of families in the neighborhood from school activities, all seemed nice, so no evident red flags. It all depends on your neighbors . . .
Best of luck.
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