Matawan counting on Smart Growth funds
Council would match $88,000 with $22,000
in borough funds
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Matawan is hoping to get a Smart Growth grant to help with its downtown and railroad improvement district revitalization efforts. Pictured above is the intersection of Main and Little streets.
MATAWAN — With its recent application for a Smart Growth grant, the borough is counting on state funds to help revitalize the downtown and the train station area.
Smart Growth grants are administered through the Office of State Planning in Trenton.
The application is for $88,000 in funds to conduct various studies over the next 12 to 14 months, according to Ralph Treadway, the borough’s downtown redevelopment coordinator. The borough passed a resolution in October to match 25 percent of the grant or provide $22,000.
The application package was put together by Treadway, Mayor Robert Clifton, Borough Administrator Joseph Leo, Borough Engineer Robert Bucco, and Borough Attorney Brian Mullen, with assistance from Monmouth County Planner Harriet Strickler. The status of the application, and the availability of funds will not be known until January or February, Treadway said.
"This grant will set the stage for Main Street growth for well into this century and millennium," Treadway said.
According to Treadway, the borough has eight goals for the grant:
• to improve the downtown streetscape and connection to the railroad improvement district,
• to address regional transportation challenges,
• to balance growth,
• to create a vibrant downtown,
• to maintain the town’s historic character,
• to alleviate traffic congestion and expand the economic vitality of the downtown through more efficient land use,
• and to create a successful marketing strategy that will result in a greater retail and professional mix.
According to Leo, the borough will be looking into pedestrian links between the downtown and the train station, a possible jitney service, and solutions in dealing with the traffic.
Because of the regional nature of the Aberdeen-Matawan train station, the borough is hoping for relief from the state, either in the form of money or use of planning and growth experts.
Treadway and Leo stressed that public input will be critical to the future direction of the downtown and the railroad improvement district.
"A component of Matawan’s plan has been to create a continuous dialogue and partnership between the borough and the other involved entities," said Treadway. "To promote a strong sense of community partnership, Matawan has engaged in a process that incorporates significant citizen participation."
Treadway noted that numerous meetings have been held over the past two years which were designed to provide a forum for residents to express ideas and concerns.
According to Treadway, the Smart Growth grant will consist of six components, with varying allocated funds and time lines. The two major studies, to be conducted by consultants, will be the Regional Transportation Study, with approximately $28,000 allocated from the Smart Growth Grant and another $7,000 in matching funds from the borough, and the Multi-Modal Transportation Alternative Study, with $20,000 from the grant and $5,000 from the borough.
The Regional Transportation study is expected to take nine months to a year and the Multi-Modal study four to six months.
Plans also call for a Historic Train Station Restoration and Preservation Study, to be conducted by an unnamed architectural historian, with $12,000 from the grant and $3,000 from the borough. That study should take four months.
Another $4,000 in grant money will be used for design guidelines and $4,000 to review planning documents, each to be conducted by a consultant with a 60-day timeline.
The final component of the grant is $20,000 for public meetings and public participation over the duration of the project.