August 25, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 96 We talked about that, I'm not going to go there. We talked about flooding. We talked about soil protection. Carbon sequestration. You guys probably know all this but these are services that have been quantified economically by many agencies all around the country. They're providing financial benefits because you can't put a price on some of these things and if you do it's astronomical. Outdoor recreation. Heat island effect talks about human health, access nature, the economic benefits. Buffers from the impasse of adjacent development. Increase in the zone ordinance for climate change is probably one of the most important ecosystems services that we can provide for resiliency for rain and stormwater development. And the last one I think people don't talk about very much, but the curiosity and sense of connection to nature is part of being human and we're reducing that culture. So every bit of open space left is, especially in built up communities like West Orange, is absolutely critical to the future so kids have a place to go and experience nature. They don't have to, you know, go to the Grand Canyon, they can go right here