Full Notification

Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the October 24, 2023 meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.

1) Halloween Fun in the Borough: Celebrate Halloween Highland Park style! Visit the Famer’s Market this Friday, 10/27 to paint a pumpkin and pick up a Halloween tote filled with treats and local business coupons. On Saturday, 10/28, come out to the Night Owl Craft Market from 4-8 PM to get a head start on your holiday shopping (and grab your Halloween tote!).  Monday, 10/30 is the Highland Park Police Department’s Annual Trunk or Treat event at 6 p.m. at the Community Center. And on Tuesday, 10/31, join us downtown between 2:30-5:30 PM for trick-or-treating with the businesses on the Avenue as well as live music and Jack-O-Lantern Contest at the Welkovitz Pavilion. Afterwards, we hope you have fun trick-or-treating in the neighborhoods throughout town. (Drivers, please use caution!)

2) Water Meter Replacement Program: Property owners that have not yet had their water meter replaced should contact National Metering Services to book their appointment for a meter replacement as soon as possible. NMS has both traditional and ‘Sabbath-compliant’ water meters available now. NMS can be reached by phone at 1-888-448-0009. Visit the Borough’s website for more information.  The Borough is more than halfway through the replacements at this point and are targeting completion by the end of the year; we need your help and cooperation to achieve this goal.
 
3) Bond Ordinance for Library Roof: The public hearing and vote on the bond ordinance introduced at the October 10^th Council Meeting was postponed to November 21^st at 7:00 p.m. due to a quorum issue. The ordinance authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $380,000 to fund additional architectural design and mechanical engineering work and capital improvements related to the Highland Park Public Library roof.

4) Tree Removal and Protection Ordinance Amendment: Borough Council introduced an ordinance that would increase the fees collected for the Tree Replacement Fund when monetary mitigation is sought in lieu of on-site tree replacement following the removal of a tree on private property. The current fee is $400 and the proposed fees are $600 for owner-occupied residential properties and $850 for non-owner occupied and commercial properties. The public hearing and vote on this ordinance will take place on Tuesday, November 21^st at 7 p.m.

5) Zoning Ordinance Amendments Concerning Non-conforming Residential Lots and Residential Density in the CBD Zone: Borough Council introduced two zoning ordinance amendments and the public hearings and vote on their passage will take place on Tuesday, November 21^st at 7 p.m. The first ordinance allows new single- and two-family dwellings, where permitted, to be constructed on non-conforming lots (with respect to lot area, lot width or lot depth) without the need to apply for a variance, provided all other zoning standards are met. The second ordinance removes the 33% gross floor area restriction for residential uses within a building in the CBD Central Business District Zone. All other CBD Zone standards remain unchanged, including the requirement that residential uses be on the upper floors only.

If you’re interested in watching the October 24^th 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, November 21^st at 7:00 p.m.