Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the September 19, 2023 meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.
1) Recognition for Main Street Highland Park Volunteers: Mayor Foster issued a proclamation recognizing Meredith Carman and Ira Grassgreen, two long-time residents and Main Street Highland Park volunteers responsible for the Borough’s beautiful planters. Carman is an experienced landscape architect and Grassgreen is an experienced horticulturist; they collaborate each year to design the layout and select plants for more than 160 planters that line Raritan Avenue. They also coordinate the dozens of citizen volunteers who come out and get their hands dirty each May for the planting days.
2) Ordinance Establishing a Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossing on River Road: An ordinance amending Chapter 7 (Traffic) of the Municipal Code was introduced and a public hearing will be held prior to its adoption on Tuesday, October 10th at 7:00 p.m. The ordinance authorizes the establishment of a mid-block pedestrian crossing on River Road from a point just north of L’Ambiance Court leading into to Johnson Park.
3) Update to Commercial Signage Regulations: Borough Council authorized an agreement with LRK, Inc. to review, update, and streamline the Borough’s existing commercial signage and storefront regulations to make it easier for business owners and property owners to navigate and implement. Funding for this work is being provided for by the Woodbridge Avenue Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) grant.
4) Amendment to the 420-424 Raritan Avenue Redevelopment Plan: Borough Council authorized an agreement with LRK, Inc. to amend the 420-424 Raritan Avenue Redevelopment Plan (former Stop & Shop property) to include all of the properties on that block that face Raritan Avenue including: the former Wells Fargo Bank, the Park Town Center (home of the post office), and the Landmark/ Loft Salon building.
5) Extension of Conditional Redeveloper Designation for Tract C: Borough Council authorized a resolution extending the designation of 232 Raritan Avenue, LLC (Garden Homes) as the conditional redeveloper for Tract C as identified in the Downtown Redevelopment Plan for Tracts A-D. With this designation now extended to December 31, 2023, the Borough and 232 Raritan Avenue, LLC (Garden Homes) may continue to engage in pre-development activities including review of the conditional developer’s proposal and negotiation of and preparation of a redevelopment agreement. Mayor Foster acknowledged the community’s desire to see images and renderings of the proposed project and committed to making them available to the public as soon as possible.
If you’re interested in watching the September 19th Mayor and Council meeting, go to the HPTV Youtube channel where the video of the meeting will be posted in its entirety. The next meeting of Mayor and Council is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10th at 7:00 p.m.
