Public comments on Smart Growth plan once again
Feedback to be worked into overall recommendations for master plan changes
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer

EDISON - Members of both public and private entities sought residents' input on the final conceptual stages of the Edison Smart Growth Planning Initiative, which in the long term would redevelop large tracts of land near Routes 1 and 27.

During the Oct. 23 forum, representatives from the township, the state, the Renaissance Planning Group, and the Michael Baker Corp. presented general conceptual plans for different aspects of the initiative, with mounted displays describing everything from potential traffic improvements to mixed-use town centers. As residents floated from exhibit to exhibit, some engaged in spirited discussion with the various experts and officials associated with the project who were standing by to answer questions. Some of these discussions spilled into the presentation held before the assembled audience later that night.

Back-and-forth dialogue between the residents and the initiative's handlers was welcomed, since the purpose of the event, held at the Stelton Community Center, was to elicit as much public comment on the plan as possible. According to Township Planner Brandy Forbes, a similar approach had been taken during a previous set of meetings on the matter in the hope that suggestions from residents could be incorporated into the overall arrangement.

The township unveiled the initiative a little more than a year ago, and since then has partnered with various state agencies such as the departments of Transportation, Community Affairs and Environmental Protection in order to work out an overall improvement plan for the area. The project's focus, according to Forbes, was to improve traffic along the targeted areas and to increase walkability near them. To this end, an area-wide plan was developed, combining road improvements and proposed land-use changes. Since then, a series of meetings seeking public input have been held. According to Hannah Twaddell, project manager with Renaissance Planning, suggestions and comments from residents were incorporated into the plan.

Twaddell said that the comments they received from the Tuesday meeting would be worked into the plan's final iteration, which would then be converted into a set of recommendations for township master plan revisions. The initiative's planning has been funded entirely through the state.

As it stands now, the initiative consists of a number of different options for the targeted areas, including sections along Routes 1 and 27, the former Revlon site and the Edison train station. While the plans for specific buildings and structures are still far in the future, the general idea for these areas is to create a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use town center that would be able to compete with similar arrangements in Metuchen and Highland Park.

"[This would] give Edison a kind of identity," said Barry Keppard, an engineer with the Michael Baker Corp.

The plans presented included a variety of different setups the township could go with when implementing this initiative, with varying levels of commercial, residential and green spaces. The main thrust of the presentation, though, was the proposal that Route 27 in Edison be changed into a "civic avenue" as cited by Keppard.

"Rather than just a pass-through site as it is now," he continued. This would mean centering much of the proposed work on this corridor, allowing Route 1 to be emphasized as a "regional arterial."

Also recommended for the area was additional bike accommodations, to emphasize the neighborhood, town-center feel, as well as a bus rapid transit system and local bus circulation, to improve people's access to the town center.

"We saw a need for a bus station to kind of tie together all these centers … enabling people to access all these other places in Edison," said Eric Wright, of Renaissance.

Other projects that were recommended included new parking at the train station, perhaps through the addition of decks; several new parks; and a road connecting Kilmer Road to Kilmer Road North. It was noted that many of these projects have been planned for the long term, with some estimates placing improvements 10 to 15 years down the road.

When asked for further suggestions, many residents were forthcoming. Arnold Singer said he'd like to see the former Revlon site be a sort of loft district to attract people in the arts, such as graphic designers and gallery owners. He also thought that having areas for farmers markets would be a good idea.

"It represents an opportunity to create a destination in Edison where people would come to a central market to buy fruits and vegetables, like in Lancaster, [Pa.]," said Singer.

When one resident asked about who will maintain the momentum this plan has already built up, it was stated that the planner, Forbes, will be taking the lead on a lot of things from here on, but that there will still remain a lot of cooperation from the various agencies that this initiative had brought together.

Resident Morton Evans was skeptical of the long time frame in which many of the recommendations would take place and said that, instead, the initiative should focus more on immediate concerns, such as lack of clear information about local bus routes and a dearth of parking at the train station.

"I'm not worried about 30 years. I may very well not be alive in 30 years. I want to see [what's going to be done today]," said Evans.

He felt that the time frame was so far in advance that he had little reason to believe that anything presented to him that night would remotely resemble what eventually would go up there.

"I think it will be a miracle if it ever comes to fruition. I don't think our government, our local government, is serious about any of this. Or if they are serious, they are not serious enough. By their own admission, it does not necessarily mean that this is what anything would look like; these are suggestions for what it could look like," said Evans.

Esther Nenitz advised people to keep sidewalk issues in mind, especially if the focus is on increasing the walkability of Edison.

Andy Stephan, who shared Evans' concerns about development near the train station, said that he felt people were expecting too much from this initiative too soon, noting that things on that sort of scale tend to take a while.

"I think they tried in the beginning to get people as involved as possible, but people wanted to see things done quicker. When they start seeing 10-plus years, they think this is just ideas, a framework, and I think people came into this thinking, 'Oh, this is going to be done within the next two to three years,' " said Stephan.