Commission seeks input on conservation
By: Stephanie Prokop
BORDENTOWN CITYThe city Environmental Commission is encouraging the public to attend meetings throughout the fall to contribute to new "green" legislation, starting with an organizational meeting Sept. 5.
"There’s not a lot that has been substantially changed since the 1980s, so we’re definitely overdue," said Mike Hunninghake, commission chairman.
Two new initiatives up for discussion include some changes to city zoning ordinances, and the addition of conservation elements to the Master Plan.
Preliminary discussion will take place at the Planning Board meeting, Sept. 5.
During that meeting, each of the draft documents will be presented to the board and the public, and the public will have an opportunity to comment.
The consultant for the conservation element of the Master Plan is Dan Dobromilsky of Dobromilsky and Associates of Jamesburg, and the consultant for the land use ordinances is Mike Mueller, of Mike Mueller and Associates of Princeton.
The conservation element was funded through a grant through the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.
One change up for discussion will be the rewriting of the zoning ordinances, which has been an ongoing process with the Environmental Commission for over a year.
This could include steps to protect steep slopes, stream buffers, and create limits on the removal of trees. Another initiative would encourage people to ride the light rail that is within walking distance of any locations in the city.
The conservation element will involve changes to the Master Plan. These include nine key goals for achieving a sustainable community, such as creating trails and parks within the city, and more progressive concepts like encouraging "green" energy and building practices (such as solar panels) and hybrid vehicles in the municipal fleet, and fostering local food production, said Mr. Hunninghake.
"We’ve really gone from zero to 100 in terms of our planning documents, and we’ve done a complete environmental resource inventory," said Mr. Hunninghake.
"The zoning ordinances are really going to guide how we want to develop the town, so that it’s sustained from an environmental standpoint with a guiding principle, rather than just building where ever," he added.
City residents are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion of these two documents, at the Bordentown City Planning Board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the City Hall building, Farnsworth Avenue. For more information, visit www.bcec.us.

