Village Center designation has been sought for several years
By: Matthew Armstrong
If the township wants Kingston to gain Village Center status, it will have to revise an application that includes not only downtown Kingston, but surrounding areas that are not necessarily in the "Village" area.
Kingston has been seeking a Village Center designation for the past several years. Village Center designation, which was created under the state Development and Redevelopment Plan, acknowledges an area’s historic or cultural attributes, makes it a focal point of planning and gives it funding priority.
However, the state has asked that only the town center area of Kingston be included in the Village Center application. The rest of the area could be accepted under a less exclusive category, said South Brunswick’s planning director, Craig Marshall.
The Planning Board and the Township Council will begin revising the application 8 p.m. Monday.
Kingston was denied Village Center status two years ago. Consultants Heyer, Gruel & Associates were hired by Franklin and South Brunswick townships this summer to help put together a winning application.
The pending application has already secured additional funding for Kingston as it recently received money to construct bike paths through the village.