Jones Lang LaSalle

County population exceeds 490,000
Rules for Highlands may limit growth
Friday, March 17, 2006
BY LAWRENCE RAGONESE
Star-Ledger Staff

Morris County is nearing the half-million population mark, with a small gain of 3,156 people last year, according to federal Census estimates.

It continues a gradual annual upward trend, by 0.6 percent in 2005, to 490,593 county residents. But a chief county planning official cautioned that predicting future growth could be tricky due to the North Jersey Highlands preservation effort.

County Planning Board Direc tor Raymond Zabihach said development restrictions for towns in the Highlands preservation area could put a clamp on growth, one that could slow future population rises and economic development.

But, he stressed, there are too many unanswered questions right now to make an educated guess.

"There's a lot of indecision out there now. People are waiting to see the Highlands Council's master plan and to see what rule changes are coming in the Highlands," Zabi hach said. "Once some of this is sorted out, we may see development starting up again. Who knows?"

Also, there still are major development projects, including some in the preservation zone, that already have been approved and will likely be constructed, regardless of Highlands rules, he said. So any analysis of population trends in connection with the Highlands issue is difficult, he warned.

Among expected major developments is Pondview Estates, a mammoth Rockaway Township development that has been in the works for more than 20 years and would add more than 1,000 homes to an area along Route 15. Also, on the other end of the county, in Riverdale, 550 condos are now under construction along Route 23 and builder Trammell Crow Residential is proposing 424 more condominiums in the proposed Riverwalk development.

The new estimates provided this week by the U.S. Census Bureau show the county's population growth slowed from 0.8 percent between 2003 and 2004 to 0.6 percent over the past year.
The county's population rose from 421,353 in 1990 to 470,212 in 2000, a rise of 11.6 percent. Growth has been consistent but a little slower in the first half of the cur rent decade, rising from 470,212 in 2000 to 490,593 last year, a rise of 4.3 percent, according to federal statistics.

Morris County is the 10th most populous county in New Jersey, just behind Passaic County, according to federal statistics. Ber gen County has the most people, at 902,561 and Salem County has the fewest, 66,346.

Lawrence Ragonese may be reached at lragonese@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.