Christie Administration
announces
Plainfield as 28th
State Transit Village
Program promotes mixed-use development
and
Complete Streets accommodations
near transit facilities
(Trenton) – The
Christie Administration today
announced that the City of Plainfield
has been accepted for inclusion
in the state's Transit Village
program, which partners the city
with several state agencies to
help implement mixed-use development
and Complete Streets accommodations
near transit facilities.
With the designation, Plainfield
(Union County) becomes the 28th
municipality to be accepted into
the
Transit
Village program statewide.
Ten state agencies make up
the Transit Village (TV) task
force, which has been working with
the city since 2011 in their effort
to earn the designation.
The City of Plainfield features
downtown rail service to Newark
and New York City via NJ TRANSIT's
Northeast Corridor by way of
the Raritan Valley Line. There
are also more than half a dozen
NJ TRANSIT bus routes providing
regional service for residents
of the City.
In recent years the City of Plainfield
has exhibited a commitment to
furthering the Transit Village
program ideals through multiple
redevelopment plans and the creation
of a “Transit
Oriented Development Downtown
Zone” ordinance
with the goal of changing the
character of the central business
district. In 2010, Plainfield,
with assistance from the NJ Institute
of Technology, developed a transit-oriented
development project report which
outlined specific recommendations
for the areas near the Plainfield/North
Plainfield NJ TRANSIT train station
with the goal of encouraging
new mixed-use development. Based
on these recommendations, there
are thirteen transit-supportive
projects currently being built,
planned or contemplated within
the Transit Village District.
“A municipality can only be designated
a state Transit Village after performing
the important visioning and planning
work that sets the stage for redevelopment
to occur,” said NJDOT Commissioner
James Simpson. “I applaud
the City of Plainfield for their
careful planning efforts and the
proactive approach in their exciting
current and future development.”
The New Jersey Department of Transportation-administered
Transit Village program provides
participating towns with planning
expertise and grant opportunities
to redevelop land near train or
other transit facilities in a way
that promotes economic activity
and the use of public transportation.
Transit Village designation provides:
- State of New Jersey
commitment to the municipality's
redevelopment vision
- Coordination
among ten State agencies
that comprise the Transit Village
Task Force and technical assistance
from state agencies
- Priority
consideration for certain
funding opportunities
New Jersey's first Transit Village
was designated in 1999. The
roster now includes Pleasantville,
Morristown, Rutherford, South
Amboy, South Orange, Riverside,
Rahway, Metuchen, Belmar, Collingswood,
Bloomfield, Bound Brook, Cranford,
Matawan, New Brunswick, Journal
Square/Jersey City, Netcong,
Elizabeth City, Burlington City,
Orange, Somerville, Montclair, Linden,
West Windsor, East Orange, Dunellen,
Summit and now Plainfield.
The Department has programmed $1
million in the Fiscal Year 2014
Capital Program to provide funding
to local governments that are
part the state Transit Village
Program. Applications for Transit
Village designation are accepted
on a rolling basis and reviewed
by the Transit Village Task Force.
The task force reviews applications
and makes recommendations to
the NJDOT Commissioner, who has
final approval of Transit Village
designations. In
Fiscal Year 2013, five
Transit Village municipalities
shared $1 million for improvement
projects.
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