Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the September 15, 2026, meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council:
1) Arts in the Park is this Sunday! Council Member Hale encouraged residents to come out this Sunday, September 20, for Main Street Highland Park’s 20th annual Arts in the Park street festival, featuring live music, a juried art show, and craft market from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm. Each year, this event draws thousands of artists and art enthusiasts from the region to Highland Park to celebrate the arts, enjoy food from local restaurants, activities for kids, and much more!
2) Mary Denver Memorial Celebration on September 27: Council Member Hersh invited residents to attend the memorial for Mary Denver on Sunday, September 27 at 11 am at the Native Plant Sanctuary (NPS) on River Road, next to the Eugene M. Young Environmental Education Center. Mary was the longtime steward of the Native Plant Sanctuary and an active volunteer in the Borough. After the ceremony, attendees are encouraged to stay for refreshments and to explore the updated Mary Denver Memorial Garden and NPS grounds. There will be limited seating, so be sure to bring a lawn chair if you need one.
3) Buck Woods Redevelopment Plan Introduced: Borough Council introduced Ordinance No. 26-2136, the Buck Woods Redevelopment Plan, the next step in implementing the Borough’s settlement agreement with JSM at Highland Park. The plan establishes an overlay zone that will allow for the redevelopment of the site in accordance with the terms of the agreement, which were presented at a Community Meeting in March. Click here for an overview of the project. The Planning Board will review the plan for consistency with the Master Plan at its October meeting and the public hearing and vote on the ordinance is scheduled for the October 20 Council Meeting.
4) Cannabis Ordinance Amendments: Council introduced Ordinance Nos. 26-2137 and 26-2138, which together update the Borough’s cannabis licensing and user tax collection and enforcement regulations. Ordinance 26-2137 clarifies payment deadlines, reporting requirements, penalties, and enforcement procedures for non-payment, including potential license suspension or revocation. Ordinance 26-2138 streamlines the issuing authority for licenses by delegating the responsibility to the Borough Clerk, and also reduces the maximum number of cannabis retail licenses from five to four and removes provisions related to medical cannabis dispensaries from the Borough Code. The public hearing and vote on the ordinance is scheduled for the October 20 Council Meeting.
5) Tract C Redevelopment Agreement Authorization: Council authorized a redevelopment agreement designating 232 Raritan Avenue, LLC, a Garden Homes entity, as the redeveloper for the portion of the downtown redevelopment area referred to as Tract C, between So. Second and So. Third Avenues. The proposed project would bring 134 residential apartments, including 15% affordable units, 14,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, 6,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor public space, and 258 parking spaces, 40 of which will be public parking. This action is a significant step forward for the long-planned downtown redevelopment project. For more information, go to hpboro.com/tractc. To view the slides presented at last week’s Community Meeting on the project, click here.
If you’re interested in watching the September 15th Council meeting, go to HPTV’S Youtube channel where the meeting will be posted in its entirety. The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6th at 7 p.m.
