Archive for the 'Suburban Living' Category

“Let’s go for a walk.” Now that spring is here in earnest, you may find yourself  frequently uttering this phrase. There are many good reasons to go for a walk–to get some fresh air, burn some calories, enjoy the trees in bloom. And, depending on where you live, you can accomplish all of this while actually getting someplace you need to go.

In most of suburbia, walking is a recreational activity and driving is a functional one. In certain towns, though, feet are a  perfectly viable mode of transportation. I am fortunate enough to live in Montclair, New Jersey, where I can walk to the supermarket, the bank and the post office. My teenage sons ride their bikes to school and to their friends’ houses.

As gasoline prices continue to climb, I love that I have a free, non-polluting way to accomplish many of my daily tasks. I suspect that there are many folks who feel as I do. Maybe that’s why, despite a  sluggish economy and a generally weak housing market, Montclair real estate continues to be highly desirable. I’d love to show you around; let’s take a walk.

Here’s a short quiz:  What do the diner, the fast-food drive-thru, the turnpike and the mall have in common? Apparently, these icons of suburbia all had their beginnings in New Jersey. I  learned this bit of historical trivia from an interview with Dr. Richard Jackson published last week on NJ.com.

Jackson is a physician who believes that our environment, specifically suburban sprawl, is making us sick. Born and raised in New Jersey, he remembers when neighborhoods were arranged around downtown: a central area with schools, shops, and religious and civic buildings (towns like Bloomfield, Maplewood and Montclair). At some point however, the American Dream came to mean “getting away from it all.”  Homes were built further and further away from downtown areas, which meant a new dependence on the automobile.

As Americans are driving more and walking less, Jackson claims, we are becoming heavier, which leads to complications ranging from high blood pressure to diabetes. We are also living further from each other – this isolation may well have something to do with the huge increase in diagnoses of depression over the past several decades.

Like any good doctor, Jackson has a cure for what ails us. He prescribes a return to traditional neighborhoods: “We need to stop making the car the first priority in everything we build.” Sounds like a walkable suburb to me.

You’ll be happier living in Montclair than in  most other suburbs – A bold
statement, I know. It’s subjective, but there are in fact, a three key predictors
of happiness -  1. health 2. wealth and 3. social connectedness.  Because of its  street layout, design and diversity of housing  Montclair offers  opportunities to foster all three.  Here are some examples.

• Many parks and sports facilities where you can exercise and meet people.
• Places to walk and bike to.
• Streets with sidewalks so you can interact with other walkers.
• Mixed-use and diverse housing styles/prices – from thrifty to extravagant.
• Good public transportation so you don’t always need to take your car.
• Small, owner operated businesses – where they know you by name.
• Lots of cultural venues for music, art and entertainment
• A certain density of population so you don’t feel isolated

I’m sure there are some die hard cul-de-sac fans out there as well as few Office Max aficionados.  So for those of us whose suburban dream is a three car garage and good access to the mall, I propose that Montclair may not be a good fit.  There’s always Mt. Olive though.

I don’t generally have a lot of time to watch television; being a New Jersey Realtor means being “on call” day and night. I am determined to make time for Designing Healthy Communities, though. This is a four-part series airing soon on WLIW  (and other public television stations) which looks at the links between our built environment (urban sprawl, concrete jungles) and public health issues like obesity and asthma. I’m especially interested in the first episode, called “Retrofitting Suburbia.”  In this episode, Dr. Richard Jackson, the series host, looks at communities in Colorado and Georgia that have taken steps to encourage mass transit and bicycling as legitimate forms of transportation. The series runs on February 2 and 3;  it should make for valuable, and fascinating, viewing.

A few weeks ago, The New York Times ran an Op-Ed piece called “The Death of the Fringe Suburb.” The author, Christopher Leinberger, discusses the collapse of outer-ring suburbs and return to popularity of urban and inner-suburban housing. As a New Jersey Realtor, I feel sadness and concern about the decline of any housing market. I find it fascinating, though, that this trend–occurring in markets all over the country– is a total reversal of the national post-WWII housing shift from cities to suburbs.

Back in the 1950s, cities emptied out as a car and a backyard came to exemplify the American dream.  In succeeding decades, McMansions took root in exurbs, as homeowners sought more and more house on more and more land. According to Leinberger, demand for this type of housing has collapsed and will not recover, due to generational shifts. Baby Boomers (born from 1946-64), are retiring at exactly the same time as Millenials (born from 1979-96) are ready to strike out on their own; neither group is looking for a large house in outer suburbia. Boomers are downsizing from their suburban homes, and Millenials tend to favor urban environments, both for the cultural attractions and the convenience of not needing a car.

Leinberger cites Pasadena, CA and Bellevue, WA as examples where mixed-use developments with good public transit access have been built where strip malls once stood. He also calls for greater public investment in bus and light-rail systems, bike lanes, and pedestrian walkways. His suggestions would provide jobs and help the environment, both of which the U.S. could really use.

For those of us living in Montclair, Maplewood or South Orange, we are fortunate to have much of this infrastructure already in place.  For those who are not, would you give up your 2 acres for a smaller lot and a shorter commute?  Would you trade your Olive Garden for Osteria Giotto? How about your Multiplex for the Wellmont Theatre?

Driving around town this past week, I’ve seen a huge number of Montclair homes that were hit hard by the snowstorm of October 29. Drooping power lines and downed trees are unfortunately a common sight these days. Power lines are obviously a matter for PSE&G to deal with; trees, however, may be your responsibility.

If one of your trees falls on your own property, it is your responsibility to get it to the curb; the town of Montclair will then remove it for you. Any damage to your home is also your responsibility–call your insurance company.

But what if a neighbor’s tree falls on your property? In an article on the website Houselogic.com,  DC-area author Ann Cochran explains that you should still contact your own insurance company.  The cost of removing it is your neighbor’s responsibility only if you can prove that he knew that the tree was at risk of falling (due to disease, e.g.) and did nothing about it. In the case of a freak snowstorm, this is unlikely.

The same logic applies if one of your trees falls onto your neighbor’s property. Cochran recommends doing nothing until you hear from your neighbor’s insurance company. Removing the tree is your responsibility only if your neighbor can prove that you knew it was a hazard and did nothing about it.  Having said that, it’s always neighborly to offer to remove the branches – even if legally, it’s not your responsibility.

Property damage is very upsetting. Knowing your rights and responsibilities as a homeowner is a good way to prevent it from escalating into a neighborhood dispute.

As a New Jersey Realtor, I am a member of the National Association of Realtors, and I regularly read its publications. Recently I came across one that I found interesting and worth sharing.

In March of this year, the National Association of Realtors commissioned a market research firm to conduct a survey regarding Americans’ housing and community preferences.  Over 2,000  randomly selected adults took part in this updating of a 2004 survey. In both cases, a significant portion of adults indicated that living in a community where they could walk to shops was either “important” or “very important.”

The economy  has seen big ups and downs over the past seven years, and people’s housing priorities have changed in certain areas. I was interested to see that 66% (two-thirds) of the adults  polled this year said that being within an easy walk to places in their community was important to them.

Clearly, walkable suburbs are still seen as very desirable places to live. I’d love to show you some of New Jersey’s finest.

I’m feeling very retro these days. A couple of weeks ago my dryer quit after a long and useful life.  Engrossed in my washing, I hadn’t noticed that the dryer was not keeping pace with the washer and so 4 loads later I found myself with 80 lbs of wet clothes. A quick run to Mr. Charlie’s (aka American Royal Hardware on Park Street in Montclair) and I was back on track.

40 foot retractable clothesline:  $19.99
50-pack of wooden clothespins:$ 5.99
2 stainless steel screws:$.0.50

A basket full of dry, sweet-smelling clothes: Priceless

I find myself actually enjoying this activity which my mother did on a regular basis, every Tuesday, weather permitting.  Besides feeling nostalgic, I feel virtuous and thrifty for allowing the sun and wind to do for free for what I usually pay PSEG.  My 14 year-old son – not so much.  He’s mortified that his friends might see his skivvies from Valley Road.

In this CDC-sponsored video the narrator says “(walkable communities) are no longer a fairy tale – they’re a reality”.  I had to laugh! it’s like the government just stumbled upon this concept.  In towns like Montclair and Maplewood NJ the layout of the town has been conducive to walking for the last 100 years.  In the 1920s and 30s cars were a luxury so sidewalks were mandatory.  Shops and schools had to be within walking distance.  And train stations were a necessity. The narrator then says “walkable communities are the wave of the future”.  I wonder if she knows they’ve been here all along.

Relaxing in Essex County's Brookdale Park

It’s unusually cold for this time of year, but since it is in fact April, I assume that we’ll see warmer weather soon. For me, that means more time outdoors, specifically in Brookdale Park.

I’ve been going to Brookdale Park since my kids were babies: I spent many afternoons pushing their strollers along the paths and later helped them navigate the equipment on the two playgrounds. Several years later, I found myself at the park again, cheering them on from the sidelines of the soccer and softball fields with fellow Montclair moms.

My kids have moved on to other activities, but I still love the park. Whenever I get a chance, I meet a friend for some tennis (there are 11 courts). I  also love the art shows held there in spring and fall, as well as the free summer concerts and July 4th fireworks. Note to gardeners: there are dozens of  different species of roses in the gorgeous rose garden.

Brookdale Park was designed by the Olmstead brothers, who also designed New York City’s Central Park. Since I grew up in the city and spent a lot of time in Central Park when I was young, I really feel right at home here.