Stollen wants Main St.

Stollen wants Main St.

protected in master plan

Spotswood plan

will be revised

early next year

BY VINCENT TODARO

Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD — When the borough reviews its mater plan next year, it could have a special group helping to decide what changes are needed regarding the future of Main Street.

Councilman Curtis Stollen said he has recommended that the Borough Council consider using Downtown New Jersey Inc., of Livingston, to analyze what can be done in terms of planning for the future of Main Street. The group specializes in such efforts and has advised other towns such as Long Branch, Morristown and Matawan on what to with their downtown centers.

Stollen said the group would charge $2,500 for its services, which would include sending three to five professionals to review the downtown area for a day and then submit reports.

The group would first ask for a description of what the town wants to see take place in its downtown area, then send its downtown business assistance team (DBAT) out for the study. Stollen said he met representatives of the group at the recent state League of Municipalities convention in Atlantic City.

"They come and they review everything," he said. "At the end of the day, they would give us an oral report plus a written report."

The written report would contain references to ordinances other towns have passed so Spotswood could have a basis for creating its own legal changes, he said.

"When you think of getting three to five professionals at this cost, it seems pretty reasonable to do that," he said.

Master plan reviews require municipalities to pay planners for input, so Stollen said he is going to find out if Spotswood could use the DBAT group instead. He said the group offers advice in a number of areas, including streetscape, facade designs, marketing, organizing for commercial district revitalization, and the formation of special improvement districts.

"We’re required by statute to redo the master plan every six years," he said. "This is more of a professional evaluation or guidance to give us a plan as to what is possible on Main Street or what will work."

Stollen said his goal is to use the master plan review to set up a vision for Main Street. He has stressed that he does not like the idea of allowing large strip malls with parking in the front, turning the road into another Route 18. Instead, he prefers a more small-town appearance. His vision came in conflict with that of some other borough officials recently when two commercial building applications were approved for Main Street.

Mayor Barry Zagnit said this week that the Planning Board, on which he and Stollen both sit, will make recommendations to the council regarding the master plan.

"The Planning Board does the lion’s share of the work as far as changes," he said.

The borough’s master plan will be revised, Zagnit said, but not completely overhauled.

"So we need to get this thing done as inexpensively as possible," he said.

As for using the firm Stollen wants to consider, Zagnit said he is not certain if $2,500 is a good price and added that he still only has "very sketchy information" on the matter.

The mayor said it was too early in the process to say what the governing body will do.

Stollen said he wants to work toward revising zones that concern development along Main Street.

"We have ordinances, done by a planner, that set up zones, but they don’t give us a vision of what’s possible for our downtown," Stollen said.

"I would like to see a master plan be a reflection of how nice this community is, and for Main Street to be a focal point of the town," he said. "After what we went through (this year) with planning and zoning applications, I felt it would be nice to have a path and design we follow."