Title
Dept/ Agency: Economic and Housing Development
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Resolution Endorsing
Purpose: Resolution supporting the filing of an Application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for Transit Village Designation.
Additional Information:
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WHEREAS, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and New Jersey Transit have created a Smart Growth partnership known as the Transit Village Initiative; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Village Initiative creates incentives for municipalities to redevelop or revitalize the areas around transit stations using design standards of Transit Oriented Development (TOD); and
WHEREAS, TOD helps municipalities create attractive, vibrant, pedestrian friendly neighborhoods where people can live, shop, work, and play without relying on automobiles; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Village Initiative supports revitalization and redevelopment within walking distance of transit hubs for the purpose of increasing transit ridership, reducing automobile congestion and improving air quality in the State of New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, one of the goals of the Transit Village Initiative is to bring more housing, businesses and people into the neighborhoods around transit stations; and
WHEREAS, the NJDOT along with NJ Transit, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, New Jersey Council on the Arts, Main Street New Jersey, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Office for Planning Advocacy, and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency are partners in the Transit Village Initiative and make up the Transit Village Task Force; and
WHEREAS, in order for municipalities to be designated as a Transit Village, the Transit Village Task Force must recommend the municipality upon a showing of its commitment to revitalizing and redeveloping the areas around it’s transit facilities into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with a strong residential component; and
WHEREAS, the NJDOT may designate a municipality a Transit Village after the municipality has completed the Transit Village Application and demonstrated that it has met the Transit Village Criteria, including, but not limited to, illustrating the TOD projects planned for the Transit Village District, established by the Transit Village Task Force; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark is interested in obtaining Transit Village designation and will propose the one and half mile radius centered on the intersection of Broad and Market Streets, where over 78,000 passengers board buses and commuter rail every weekday, as the Transit Village District; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Transit Village District contains sixty-three (63) bus stops, three (3) light rail stations, and one (1) commuter rail station - Newark Penn Station, which accommodates PATH, NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak, and private inter-city bus companies; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Office of Planning launched a dynamic information campaign though leafleting and social media blasts in order to apprise the public of the City’s plan to pursue a Transit Village designation, and holding two well-attended public outreach meetings on January 15, 2020 and January 18, 2020, which yielded voluminous, diverse, and supportive suggestions and comments from the citizenry; and
WHEREAS, once a municipality has been deemed a Transit Village, the Transit Village Task Force will provide that municipality with: (1) a contact person in each of the State agencies that make up the Transit Village Task Force; (2) technical assistance from each State agency; (3) up-to-date information on grants, loans, programs or other opportunities; (4) priority funding where feasible; and (5) access to special information meetings, educational programs and research information; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark recognizes the need for robust reconfiguration of its mass-transit offerings in the downtown area, and thus desires to apply to the NJDOT for Transit Village designation by submitting the application attached hereto as Exhibit A.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Mayor and/or his designee, the Director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development, are hereby authorized to submit an application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), requesting consideration for the designation of Transit Village.
2. The City of Newark desires to be considered for Transit Village designation by the NJDOT.
3. The Municipal Council of the City of Newark is committed to Smart Growth and is willing to accept meaningful growth in terms of jobs, housing and population within the Transit Village Development District.
4. The Municipal Council of the City of Newark hereby commits to the implementation of the compact, mixed-use, transit-supportive vision as represented in the Transit Village Statement of Qualification.
5. The Municipal Council of the City of Newark has identified Pallavi Shinde, PP/AICP, Supervising Planner for the City of Newark who is knowledgeable in municipal planning, development and/or economic issues, as well as Brendan Latimer, Associate Transportation Planner, to be the primary points of contact for the City of Newark to the Transit Village Task Force.
6. If the City of Newark is designated as a Transit Village, the Municipal Council of the City of Newark will commit to submitting annual updates as required by the Transit Village Task Force.
7. If the City of Newark is designated as a Transit Village, the Municipal Council of the City of Newark will continuously strive to improve the quality of the Transit Village Development District.
8. In the event that the Transit Village Task Force determines that a designated Transit Village is no longer acting consistently with the Transit Village program goals, the Transit Village Task Force may suspend designation and/or withhold program benefits.
9. This resolution shall be effective immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution authorizes the Mayor and/or his designee, the Director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development, to submit an application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation to obtain Transit Village designation, which designation will afford the City of Newark access to technical assistance, myriad funding opportunities, and the implementation of an objective approach to the revitalization of its transit corridors.