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WeLoveMillburn meets with Planning Board members
to discuss the Downtown Redevelopment Plan
August 13, 2008, Millburn NJ
On August 12, 2008, WeLoveMillburn representatives, Michael Becker, Chairman; Ralph Inglese, President; and Abby Kalan met to attain more information and share concerns regarding the Downtown Redevelopment Plan with representatives of the Millburn Township Planning Board, Michael Gorman, Chairman; Kenneth Leiby, Vice-Chairman; and Saul Spivack.
WeLoveMillburn submitted questions in advance to Michael Gorman in anticipation of this meeting. The answers to those questions will be made available on the WeLoveMillburn website and will not be individually addressed in this report.
Background
Michael Gorman began by reviewing the steps taken to date in the redevelopment study process, beginning with the original Township Committee discussions of the area to be considered for redevelopment. After determining that the substance of the study would include approximately 13 acres in the downtown area, the Township Committee gave a charge to the Planning Board to examine this area to determine if it would meet the statutory requirements for redevelopment under the Local Housing and Redevelopment Law guidelines. The Planning Board determined with a 7-2 vote that the area met the statutory need requirements. The Township Committee accepted this recommendation with a unanimous vote and then gave a charge to the Planning Board to develop a "concept" for redevelopment. The Planning Board interviewed and chose a planner to create a concept for the 13-acre parcel in the downtown.
It was made clear by Mr. Gorman that the Township Committee set the initial parameters for this plan, being, the use of the Local Housing and Redevelopment Land Law guidelines, and the specific acreage under consideration. The Planning Board members also stated that what is now being reviewed by the Planning Board is a "concept" and not a set plan. The Planning Board representatives anticipate that after taking into consideration comments from public discussions already held that the concept would be somewhat revised prior to the Planning Board vote on September 3, 2008.
It needs to be stated that the Planning Board will not be voting to "approve" a plan. The Planning Board vote will determine whether or not the Board sees the concept as "substantially consistent" with the Township Master Plan.
After the September 3, 2008 vote by the Planning Board, the Planning Board informed us that participation in this phase of the process will be complete unless they are requested to be involved in further work.
Township Committee will be responsible for approval and implementation
The Planning Board representatives we met with believe that the downtown redevelopment concept will invigorate Millburn and provide opportunities for additional downtown activity and more varied retail.
The Planning Board representatives expressed their belief that redevelopers will be very interested in a project in Millburn because of its perceived potential for economic success. However, it was also stated that should developers not show interest in submitting development proposals, that this would clearly indicate a sense of the feasibility or reasonableness of this endeavor from a commercial perspective. In other words, developer interest would provide another level of "approval".
Although the distinction between concept and plan was emphasized, it was also acknowledged that should this concept then be approved by the Township Committee after a series of public hearings, that this concept will in essence be the plan that developers use as a basis for their proposals.
A more detailed plan is in draft form and will be reviewed by the Planning Board and made available to the community. However, Mr. Gorman cautioned that at this time the specific details of the concept are not important and that the financials represent the size of the project, not exact figures for a particular project.
If the project moves forward, the entity accountable for the project details could either be the Township Committee or a separate redevelopment agency appointed by the Township Committee. In addition to this oversight group, each site plan would be presented to the Planning Board for approval, and all plans would require Fire Department and Police Department approvals.
WeLoveMillburn remains concerned
WeLoveMillburn is interested in learning more about redevelopment projects in other New Jersey communities to better assess the challenges and opportunities of a redevelopment project in our downtown.
Mr. Gorman stated that the redevelopment plan stipulates at minimum a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. WeLoveMillburn would like to see how these standards will be incorporated in the plan.
Regarding the topic of student population increases resulting from new downtown housing units, the Planning Board relied on the Rutgers model for its estimates because it is considered the standard. Due to the desirability of our township schools, this should be more carefully addressed.
Another concern is the relocation of the Department of Public Works, an essential element of the plan that has yet to be addressed.
Other areas of concern include those frequently mentioned by residents: traffic, safety, and parking.
And obviously while the Planning Board continues to feel there is a good chance that the whole project can be revenue neutral meaning no increase in resident's taxes, we have serious doubts about that.
The plan describes a "Vision" of downtown, but does not make any specific recommendations or provide any guidance to the Township Committee on how to turn the vision into reality. Over the years, there have been many traffic studies, parking studies, proposed downtown plans and zoning reviews. We still don?t have a cohesive plan or guidelines being proposed to the Township Committee.
The next step in the process will be for the Planning Board to present the "concept" to the Township Committee and public hearings to discuss justification and effectiveness of this project and all project details. At this point there remain many unanswered questions. We believe that the questions WeLoveMillburn posed to the Planning Board will need to be answered by the Township Committee before our elected representatives vote on whether or not to move the process forward.
Future reports
WeLoveMillburn expects to provide additional reports as more details become available over the next 1-2 months.
WeLoveMillburn, Inc. is a non-profit, grassroots, informational organization made up of involved residents. This mission, as we have stated on our website, is to help all residents to be better informed about the issues that affect our community. We do this in a positive spirit of informing one another about what is happening, what is not happening and what is possible. We are all neighbors and this is our town. WeLoveMillburn.com
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