Revitalization group seeks involvement
By: Stephanie Brown
JAMESBURG The Jamesburg Revitalization Coalition is looking to the future of Jamesburg and needs community members to get involved.
Made up of borough business owners, political figures, residents and anyone else who has a stake in the borough’s future, the JRC’s goal is to turn the borough’s downtown into a thriving business district while maintaining the area’s historic character.
"There’s a movement afoot," said Teddy Ehman, JRC member and owner of Family Framers. "As a businessman in this town, I can tell you, it seems like the time is coming where we’re back to the days of getting goods and services from the old Main Street."
But as bright as they believe the borough’s future may be, the community at large must get on board with the project.
"If we don’t have the support of the town, then we’re whistling in the wind," said JRC member and Borough Councilman John Longo.
About 20 people attended a town hall meeting Monday night in which JRC members and guest speaker, Jef Buehler, of the state Department of Community Affairs, discussed development and revitalization possibilities.
Mr. Buehler is the state coordinator of Main Street New Jersey and the Improvement District Programs Office of Smart Growth.
He said historic downtowns had a lot of value in the past, but it was lost when people moved to the suburbs. Retail business followed this trend in outward development called "sprawl," and thus malls were created.
Malls were a success for one main reason control, Mr. Buehler said.
Malls control the hours that they stay open, their physical environment, promotion of the facility and tenant mix.
Downtowns can do the same things in terms of control, he said, by taking the Main Street four-point approach to revitalization, in which the community controls the perception of their civic, social, physical and economic value. A town can control civic value by showing that the community cares about its downtown, social value by showing that the downtown is fun, physical value by branding its downtown and economic value by increasing the quality and diversity of business.
But first towns have to know what they’re working with, or assess their assets, he said. The most successful methodology for revitalization is asset-based change using the borough’s assets to create positive change and using it incrementally over the years, Mr. Buehler said.
After exploring the town a little, he said, he found the borough to have many economic assets. The borough has many banks, various eateries, a regionally known bakery and "quintessential downtown" shops, like hardware stores and a pharmacy, he said.
"It’s a full service town. You can actually live a day in Jamesburg," he said.
The borough also has two large design assets the lake and train tracks.
In addition, organization within the community exits as evident in the many events that are held throughout the year, like the Memorial Day Parade and Tonkery Day.
"There’s a care in this community," Mr. Buehler said. "The fact that the revitalization coalition exists proves that."
Mr. Buehler said revitalization would have to be volunteer driven.
"In a town with 6,000 residents, you’re not going to have a budget to revitalize the downtown," he said, which is why the community must create a shared vision of the borough’s future.
The JRC discussed feedback from previous meetings and surveys, which determined that improved lighting, pedestrian safety, and more entertainment are three items that should be a priority.
In addition, graduate students who attend Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy will analyze the borough’s downtown area and make recommendations based on the people of Jamesburg’s vision, said Tim McManus, a Bloustein student who will oversee the project. Rutgers will begin the study in January and present its findings to the community in May. After that, Mr. McManus said it would be in the community’s hands to put the plan into action.
The JRC is asking that people come to the next meeting Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. at Borough Hall with their vision for the future.
"If you don’t have it now, think about for the Dec. 4 meeting and bring a friend," Mr. Longo said.

