Background (preamble):
In early November 2010, members of the Millburn Township Committee directed the town forester and engineer to mark over 125 trees near the Short Hills train station as targets for removal to create parking spaces. These trees and the surrounding embankment, which borders the train tracks along Chatham Road from the train station west to the Forest Drive intersection, provide the township with irreplaceable environmental and aesthetic benefits, including moderating climate, improving air quality, reducing water runoff, harboring wildlife, buffering train noise, and beautifying the neighborhood. Replacing the trees with pavement would not only eliminate these benefits, but also create several problems for the township, including safety, budgetary, and integrity issues. The proposed head-in parking creates a safety hazard for area drivers, because such parking requires backing out directly into Short Hills Village’s main thoroughfare. The additional parking would also increase traffic in close proximity to Glenwood Elementary School. Further, removing trees, razing the embankment, building retaining walls, and paving streets is an expensive proposition, especially during a difficult economic period. Finally, removing these trees to create parking spaces puts Millburn Township’s reputation at risk. Such action may violate Short Hills’ founder Stewart Hartshorn’s historical deed to the Township, and appears to contradict the Sustainable Jersey certification recently granted to the Township.

Declaration: We, the undersigned*, oppose the removal of the Chatham Road trees to create parking spaces.
(*only residents of Millburn/Short Hills are eligible to sign this petition.  Each member of a household, age 18 or older, may sign, as long as each has a different name and e-mail address [same street address is ok]). Please do not sign up with the same name more than once. You may choose to hide your signature online using the option below.  If you would prefer to sign an offline, paper copy of the petition, please let us know at savetreesoverparking@yahoo.com)

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