FAIRHAVEN- About 25 residentsmet with borough officials on Feb. 28 to discuss what they liked about a report offering ideas on how to improve the borough’s downtown area.
It was a more positive, constructive group that gathered to discuss the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) report at Borough Hall than had previouslymet inDecember. The report,whichwas compiled by theNew York-based community planning organization, offers solutions for River Road that would make it more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclistswhile also connecting and
beautifying the downtown area.
At theDecembermeeting,MayorMichael Halfacre andmembers of theBoroughCouncil found themselves defending the ideas proposed by the report as just that – ideas. They resolved to have further discussionwith borough residents to decide what should be done with the findings of the report.
At last week’smeeting, BoroughAdministrator Mary Howell had residents list what they believed to be FairHaven’s assets before compiling long-term and short-term lists of the ideas from the report that they would like to see pursued. Some of the short-termideas supported by the residents were bike racks, more trees and marked parking spaces along River Road, painted
crosswalks, a bike lane and outdoor dining.
Pat Drummond, of Fair Haven Road, was in support of bike racks near theAcme. “I think I’d ride my bike there, if there was a bike rack,” Drummond said.
Drummond also suggested that some historical signage be added tomark historic placeswithin the borough, a suggestion that Halfacre agreed should be enacted.
Long-term ideas that residents liked were the elimination of front-yard parking, encouraging commercial signage compatible with the character of the town, institution of shared parking behind businesses, and a cautionary light by the firehouse. Little considerationwas given to the controversial idea of converting some of the Acme’s front parking lot into a pocket park.
“There’s little incentive for the Acme to change anything,” Halfacre said.
Therewas a definite nostalgia for the return of the types of businesses that the borough had seen in the past, such as family-oriented (non-chain) restaurants, a non-corporate-owned pharmacy, an ice cream shop and a farmers market.
Safety on and beyond River Road was another key topic of discussion for residents and officials.
Grant Davis, of Third Street, was in favor of sidewalks along his street.
“The street has school and pedestrian traffic,” Davis said, “and it would be nice to keep them off the street. Right now they walk on the street because, for most of the length, there is no sidewalk.”
Davis was also concerned that slowing down traffic on River Roadwould cause a diversion in traffic to Ridge Road that could potentially hurt businesses and cause traffic problems.
“One thing that this brochure does not address is changes in the bigger traffic pattern other than just the couple of blocks in the commercial district,”Davis said. “When I read it, it had the flavor of ‘OK, we’re changing the way people use River Road,’ and that’s going to have a bigger impact and reaching a balance is a reasonable thing.”
Halfacre felt that slowing traffic down would not be harmful to businesses, both because of River Road’s direct proximity to the Garden State Parkway for commuters and because of the lack of businesses along other routes.
“There are no coffee places on Ridge Road,”Halfacre responded. “Business owners will scream all day when we talk about slowing traffic down, because they feel that if you slow traffic down, people will find another route. But as I look at it, if you slow traffic down, it gives people an opportunity to stop and shop.”
Halfacre added that the goal was not to impede traffic, but to enhance safety.
“I think we need an overall safety programfor kids and pedestrians in our town,” said Gail O’Reilly, of Hance Road.
Along with the incentives to get more residentswalking and riding bikes, officials agreed to look into the enhancement of safety programs in schools.
Peter O’Such, of Parker Avenue, requested a recycling drop-off site similar to one existing in Rumson.
“We guard our dump tighter than they guard the bank here,” O’Such quipped.
Howell replied that such a site would be available starting in April in the form of a gated-off section in the Department of PublicWorks yard.
“This is great,”O’Reilly said of themeeting, andwas also in favor of the creation “of some vehicle to keep us engaged in this sort of dialogue.”
O’Such was concerned about the costs of ideas stemming from the PPS report and urged caution in spending.
“The study seems to focus on the large and complex and costly,” O’Such said. “I think that particularly at these times in New Jersey, that you should try to do the easier and the less costly.”