By Michael Benavides
Staff Writer
PLUMSTED – Municipal officials are applying for planning assistance from the state as they work to secure a Town Center designation for the downtown New Egypt section of Plumsted.
Mayor Jack Trotta said the Town Center Implementation Plan is necessary for the construction of a planned sewer system.
“For many years the township has wanted to revitalize the downtown area. Earlier this year we received approval from the state to construct a sewer system in that part of town. Planning has been underway for the sewers,” Trotta said.
During a recent meeting, the Township Committee voted 5-0 to retain planning services from the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Local Planning Services.
The DCA will provide planning services to Plumsted at no cost to local taxpayers, according to the mayor.
“The state offers the services of a planner, at no cost to our budget, to help with the planning of other improvements that can be made to help in the revitalization” of the downtown, Trotta said.
According to the DCA, “a center is defined as an efficient and compact form of development having one or more mixed-use cores, residential neighborhoods and green spaces. Center designations are based on the area, population, density and employment of the center being considered and features of the surrounding areas. Centers can range in scale from very large (an urban center) to the smallest (a hamlet). Centers range in scale in the following order from largest to smallest: urban, regional, town, village and hamlet.”
According to the DCA, the following locations are among those in the region that have been recognized as centers: Allentown, Englishtown, Freehold Borough and Red Bank in Monmouth County; Chesterfield and Wrightstown in Burlington County; and Brick Township, Seaside Heights, Barnegat, Berkeley, Stafford, Waretown, Tuckerton and West Creek (in Ocean County).
The DCA said the Town Center designation, which is outlined in the state’s Strategic Plan, was created to encourage economic growth as well as to reduce public spending on infrastructure.
“This coordination is intended to provide protection for state investments, discourage public expenditures on infrastructure encroaching on critical resource areas and, instead, encourage investment in areas most suitable for growth,” the DCA said.
The DCA said the goals include targeted economic growth, effective regional planning, preservation, protection and enhancement of critical state resources, and the tactical alignment of government.
In other action at the Oct. 5 meeting, Plumsted officials passed a resolution to authorize an agreement with Ocean County in connection with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Trotta said the grant will be used to repave a parking lot at a recreational field on Brindletown Road.
“This grant will enable us to repave the parking lot without using local taxpayer dollars,” the mayor said.