1. COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS

The Borough of Mountain Lakes is a small community of only 3.1 square miles in area and 3,847 in population (1990 U.S. Census).  It is primarily a residential community of large single family homes on relatively small lots.

REGIONAL SETTING

Mountain Lakes is located in the east central section of Morris County, between the suburban communities of Denville and Parsippany-Troy Hills and within one of the County's major development corridors, Route 46.  To the east are the urbanized sections of the metropolitan region, to the south the population center of Morris County.  To the west is additional suburban development while the areas to the north of the Borough are more rural in character.

Major highways such as Interstate Routes 287, 280 and 80 link Mountain Lakes with the New York metropolitan area and major cities in the State of New Jersey.  Limited train and bus services are available.

This area is the most densely populated in the County and is below average in terms of open space provided by federal (none), state and county governments.  The importance of open space to the region, provided by the individual communities, is reflected in this Master Plan for Mountain Lakes.

Mountain Lakes borders on four other communities: Denville and Boonton Townships, the Town of Boonton and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.  The land is primarily residential, single-family housing on both sides of the boundary between Mountain Lakes and the first three communities listed.  Most of the Intervale Road area (Parsippany-Troy Hills) is also low-density residential with two exceptions, both located in Parsippany-Troy Hills: an "economic development" zone bounded by Intervale Road, the railroad and Fanny Road, and the Belle Mead Corporation development area (the old Dodge Tract) located on the northern side of Route 46 and east of Intervale Road The "economic development" zone is currently, or was in the past, developed with industrial uses and should be monitored for environmental impact on surrounding areas.

The Route 46 area in Parsippany-Troy Hills bordering Mountain Lakes includes a variety of business, "economic development" and research uses as well as small sections of residential use of medium to high density.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Mountain Lakes is located on the border of the New Jersey Highlands, an area of rugged relief underlain by hard crystalline rock and the Triassic Lowlands, a relatively low area of moderate relief generally underlain by soft sedimentary rocks.  The Highlands form the northwestern four-fifths of the Borough and the Triassic Lowlands form the southeastern one-fifth of the Borough.  The groundwater aquifers within the Borough, including a semi-confined aquifer, have been delineated in a study prepared by Geraghty & Miller, Inc. in 1978.  The impact of human development on these aquifers is a major concern, especially the impact of runoff from Route 46 and development in recharge areas located outside of the Borough.

Most of the Borough is within the Whippany River watershed; less than ten percent drains into the Rockaway River.  Surface waters in Mountain Lakes represent the upper reaches of streams and, as is characteristic of headwater areas, there is little flood-plain formation due to the relatively rapid drop in elevation.  Nevertheless, high water tables exist in several places of more level topography.

In terms of land forms, the Borough consists of numerous small lakes and valleys associated with glaciated landscapes.  The southwestern third of the land consists of soils associated with a terminal moraine of the Wisconsin Glaciation: small, sandy ridges interspersed with pockets of poorly drained depressions formed by melting ice chunks.  In contrast, the northern sections are characterized as highlands with steeper ridges of shallow depth to bedrock with frequent deposits of glacial boulders of large size both on and below the soil surface in the more level areas.

Mountain Lakes includes rich vegetation, both natural and in the form of landscaping.  In particular, the Borough has extensive areas of woodlands which have a very significant impact on the quality of life in the Borough.  As these woodlands mature they are experiencing increased stress due to competition for light and nutrients.  The extensive lake areas of the Borough are also under stress due to the effects of eutrophication.  Together the woodlands and lakes form the most important and prominent environmental features in the Borough; they are indeed the central natural design elements around which the Borough was originally planned.  Healthy woodlands and lakes constitute major environmental assets that should be monitored and protected.

LAND USE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

About 97 percent of the land in the borough is developed or in public ownership.  The developed land, with few exceptions, is of minor size and in residential use.  It is comprised of about 1210 single-family homes, 115 townhouses and practically no apartments.  The bulk of the Borough-owned land provides for community facilities, utilities and open space or constitutes environmentally important conservation areas.  Commercial and light industrial land uses are limited to Route 46, within the "Midvale Market area" (just north of the railroad) and at Fanny Road and Morris Avenue.  There are two categories of privately-owned vacant land in the Borough: about 34 vacant lots (mostly undersized and impacted by substantial environmental constraints) scattered throughout the entire Borough, except for two tracts of about 8 and 9 acres, respectively; and about 8 acres of vacant land located in the Route 46 corridor from Intervale Road to the Lake Arrowhead area.  The stretch of land north of Route 46 has been zoned Office/Light Industry (formerly Economic Development) for many years - the land west of the Boulevard since 1958, the rest since 1966.  It should be noted that 5 of the 8 acres currently have site plans approved for development.  The appendix contains a map showing the existing land use of all properties in the Borough.

The Borough's local and collector streets have access to Route 46 which connects with Interstate Routes 287, 280 and 80 within short distances of the Borough.  The northern sections of Mountain Lakes have access to Route 287 (south) via Fanny and Intervale Roads.  Sanitary sewerage and storm drainage systems are available in all of the community.  Other utilities as well as a full supply of public service facilities are also provided.

POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS

The Borough's population as of 1990 was 3,847, down from 4,739 in 1970 even though the number of housing units increased slightly during the same period (U.S. Census for 1990 and 1970).  This significant drop is attributable to the continuing decline in the average household size following the national trend.  In comparison to Morris County as a whole, Mountain Lakes' population has declined by almost 19% while Morris County's has increased by almost 10%.  Although Mountain Lakes' average household size has seen a significant decline in line with the rest of the country, its average size remains significantly higher than the rest of Morris County.

POPULATION
(Source: U.S. Census)

 197019801990
Mountain Lakes4,7394,1533,847
Morris County383,454407,630421,353

NUMBER AND SIZE OF HOUSEHOLDS
(Source: U.S. Census)

 197019801990
Number of households1,1681,1801,239
Average household size4.063.523.10
Morris Co. average household size3.493.092.83

The decrease in the population of children in both total numbers and as a percentage of the total population has been substantial in recent decades.  It is significant to note that the decrease in children matches exactly the decrease in average household size, suggesting that the reduction in household size in Mountain Lakes is largely based upon this factor.  The rate of decline in the number of children per household is similar to the rate of decline in the County as a whole.  The average number of children per household, however, remains significantly larger than for the County.

CHILDREN (Birth-18 yrs) PER HOUSEHOLD
(Source: U.S. Census)

 197019801990
Mountain Lakes children per household1.881.330.93
Morris County children per household1.330.930.68

In contrast to a decline in the number of children, the population of senior citizens in Mountain Lakes has seen a substantial increase in recent decades.  The population of those 55 and over has increased 53% since 1970, a trend that can be expected to continue.

SENIOR CITIZEN POPULATION & PERCENT OF TOTAL POPULATION
(Source: U.S. Census)

AGE197019801990
55-64285 (6.0%)402 (9.4%)430 (11.2%)
65-74138 (2.9%)108 (2.6%)243 (6.3%)
75-84-86 (2.1%)88 (2.3%)
55 and over513 (10.8%)602 (14.5%)783 (20.4%)
65 and over228 (4.8%)200 (4.8%)353 (9.2%)
75 and over90 (1.9%)92 (2.2%)110 (2.9%)
85 and over-6 (0.1%)22 (0.6%)

EDUCATIONAL, OCCUPATIONAL AND INCOME CHARACTERISTICS

The Mountain Lakes adult population is relatively well educated when compared to the County as a whole.  Moreover, recent decades have seen a trend toward an increasingly well educated population.  In 1990 the percentage of the population that completed 4 years of college was 71.5% of the adult population compared to 54.5% in 1970.

EDUCATION
Maximum Level Completed (Persons 25 years old and over)
(Source: U.S. Census)

 197019801990
High school graduates (% of population)2,233 (94.9%)2,214 (93.8%)2,442 (98.5%)
College graduates (% of population)1,282 (54.5%)1,405 (59.5%)1,772 (71.5%)
Population (25 yrs and over)2,3532,3612,480

This high level of education of the Borough's population is reflected in its occupational characteristics.  A very high proportion of the working population is employed in managerial and professional specialties.  In addition, recent decades have seen an increasing proportion of the Borough population employed.

OCCUPATION CHARACTERISTICS (16 years and older)
(Source: U.S. Census)

EMPLOYED PERSONS197019801990
Managerial and professional specialty104810451123
Technical and administrative support368467576
Service598276
Farming, forestry and fishing430
Precision production, crafts and repair618463
Operators, fabricators and laborers807119
Total162017521857

The level of educational and professional attainment is reflected in the family income statistics for the Borough.  The median income for a family in Mountain Lakes in 1989 was $109,536 compared to $62,749 for Morris County as a whole.

FAMILY INCOME
(Source: U.S. Census)

 196919791989
$0-9,999 (%)93 (8.3%)4 (0.3%)20 (1.9%)
$10,000-24,999 (%)589 (52.1%)114 (10.5%)22 (2.0%)
$25,000-49,999 (%)358 (31.6%)404 (37.3%)57 (5.2%)
$50,000-74,999 (%)91 (8.0%)1404 (37.3%)174 (15.8%)
$75,000-99,999 (%) 158 (14.6%)2171 (15.5%)
$100,000-124,999 (%)  233 (21.1%)
$125,000 or more (%)  426 (38.6%)

1. Includes families with incomes of $75,000 or more.
2. Includes families with incomes of $100,000 or more.

MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME
(Source: U.S. Census)

 196919791989
Mountain Lakes$22,423$50,582$109,536
Morris County$13,421$29,283$62,749
New Jersey$11,407$22,907$47,589