Editing Winfield Township, New Jersey (section)

===Choosing the site===
[[Image:Mary Burke 1941 Winfield.jpg|thumb|Mary Louise Burke in front of her new home at 1B Seafoam Avenue, Spring, 1942. Winfield Park, Winfield Township, New Jersey.]]
The first major job that faced the development committee was finding and selecting a suitable site for a 700-unit housing project in northern [[New Jersey]]. The [[United States Housing Authority]] provided two site selection experts, and the [[New Jersey State Planning Commission]] assisted in the site selection process. The final location had to be relatively inexpensive to purchase, near major utility networks for water, gas, electric, and sewer connections, and be in a financially stable host community with underutilized public facilities and services. Major urban areas in northern New Jersey were eliminated early because no plots of land were large enough for the project. The marshy rural areas near the shipyards were also found unacceptable early on. Quickly the committee began focusing its attention on the surrounding suburban communities, which were very popular among its work constituency. Suburban communities lacked financial stability because they lacked the industrial base necessary to keep residential property taxes low. The people of these prospective host communities were also frightened that the new project would be a direct liability rather than an asset for their towns.

Early resistance from potential host communities over financial impact concerns meant that the committee had two choices: to stop the project and wait for the problems to be resolved or push ahead, utilizing the powers granted in the [[Lanham Act]] powers to overrule local resistance, but creating a great deal of friction that could potentially affect the project's future success. The housing need was so great, though, that the only viable choice was the second one, and they pushed forward to find a site. Consciously attempting to avoid conflict, the committee tried to assure potential host communities that projects built within the mutual ownership program would pay real taxes and not make payments in place of taxes as outlined in the Lanham Act of 1940. They also petitioned the [[United States Congress]] to provide additional funds to host communities that would allow them to expand [[public services]] and facilities without imposing additional local taxes. But the financial concerns of the residents only served to exacerbate other local fears about the new project. Many defense workers took these other fears very personally.

<blockquote>
"Realizing that such an influx of families would engulf them (host community) in a tidal wave of financial difficulty, the municipal government of the various towns considered, stirred up a tremendous opposition to the project and the people to live in it with untrue and unjust charges such as decreased realty values, 'tax exempt properties,' 'lower class of people,' and so forth, which are all obviously false. We are a class of people who are gainfully employed, we are law abiding, decent, and respectable, and we are Americans."
</blockquote>

Seven potential host communities were eventually identified and researched. The committee named [[Union Township, Union County, New Jersey|Union Township]], New Jersey as their final choice, but under intense community and [political pressure] this decision was reversed, and [[Clark, New Jersey]] was selected as the final site of the project. Colonel [[Lawrence Westbrook (politician)|Lawrence Westbrook]], Special Assistant in the Federal Works Agency with responsibility for the [[Mutual Ownership Defense Housing Division]], wrote the following letter to Union Township opponents of the project, clearly showing his frustration.

<blockquote>
"Your letter to Congressmen [[Donald H. McLean|McLean]] protesting the location of a proposed defense housing project in [[Union Township, Union County, New Jersey|Union Township]] has been referred to this office. This is to advise you that a decision has been made to locate the project in [[Clark, New Jersey|Clark Township]]. It is desired to make it entirely clear, however, that in reaching this decision this office in no manner agrees that the numerous protests received from various persons and organizations in Union Township were based upon valid premises. We feel certain that if you and the other protesters had been acquainted with all of the facts in the situation, you would not have filed your protest. On the contrary, it is believed that you would have urged the Government to locate the project in your township. Since the project will be undertaken in your immediate neighborhood, you will have ample opportunity to determine whether or not the disadvantages to the community, as claimed by your Mayor, were based upon sound facts."
</blockquote>

Clark Township's municipal government had been very desirous of the siting of the project in their township. It had extended an invitation to the Federal Works Agency after the Union Township protests had erupted. However, the reaction of Clark's residents to the project indicates that the Township Committee did not have a good understanding of the actual desires of their [[Electoral district|constituents]].<ref>House of Representatives Hearings on House Resolution 3213, p.230, 231, 235, 237, 233, 244; House of Representatives Hearings on House Resolution 5211, p. 153, 169,170–173, 225; Senate Hearings on Senate Resolution 71, pt.8 p,.6066; Elizabeth Daily Journal, April 2, 1941, p, July 29, 1941, Nov. 29, 1941.</ref>