Message from Josh Losardo | May 4, 2024
Scotch Plains is thriving; there is much to celebrate.
Some of our great restaurants were recently recognized in a Star-Ledger article titled “The 21 New Jersey food towns no one knows about.” Dave Portnoy, famous for reviewing pizza slices across the country, visited one of our own. (Massa Roman Square Pizza, 405 Park Ave., right across from town hall.)
Our reinvigorated parks have been filled with many children playing together during these beautiful spring days. At Greenside, the little ones are a joy to watch. I love passing Memorial Field and seeing children younger than mine are using the same field and creating special memories of their own that will last a lifetime.
Zillow reports that home values in Scotch Plains are up 12.6% over last year, as part of an ongoing trend that shows our township is one of the most desirable places to live in the state and beyond.
Here is another amazing real estate stat: Rocket Mortgage says 83.3% of the homes sold last month went for over the asking price. And the median price? $767,500!
Don’t believe the stats? Just take a drive around town. People are investing heavily in their homes, with many upgrades, additions and even tear-downs. They are bullish about Scotch Plains and want to be here for the long haul. We love all the local investment; it is the greatest indicator that something special is happening here.
On top of it all: The Scotch Plains–Fanwood public schools are ranked among the top in New Jersey according to a Niche.com 2024 Report.
Yes, indeed, people are talking about Scotch Plains in a very good way. And we have so much more to look forward to. Last week’s adoption of the municipal budget will lead to the repaving of Cooper Road, an additional headquarters for the Scotch Plains ambulance crew to increase responsiveness to more parts of town, surveillance equipment for our police department and major improvements to Brookside Park, Haven Park and Kramer Manor Park. (Yes, we are talking pickleball, too!)
Scotch Plains is succeeding because we are all working together in a very cooperative way. I have made sure our local government is open, welcoming and eager to bring in more volunteers who want to make our township even better. We have newcomers and old timers who eagerly join our boards, commissions and committees and are always there with a “yes” when I ask them to get more involved.
Part of our success, I believe, is my firm commitment to putting politics aside. Yes, the Township Council is elected and we answer to the voters. But we have created a very simple and effective formula: Politics does not play in a role in our decisions. As long as you want to work positively and proactively to make Scotch Plains soar to even higher heights, welcome to the team!
Please feel free to contact me anytime with any question or to share anything on your mind. I am always eager to listen to ways we can improve Scotch Plains together. You can reach me a town hall at 908-322-6700, ext. 316
Thank you for being a part of this amazing renaissance in Scotch Plains. This is a very special time to live here.
