Master plan review ready for perusal
Review recommends fewer zones, limit on large-scale development
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Tinton Falls

TINTON FALLS - The draft version of a comprehensive master plan review is completed and available at the Planning Board office.

Two public meetings on the proposed amendments to the master plan will be held - on Jan. 24 and Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m., in the council chambers at the municipal building.

According to Joel Davies, Planning Board chairman, the main changes in the document are a reduction in the number of zones, better defined zones and transition areas, as well as a simplification of the master plan overall so that it is easier to understand.

Davies explained that the last comprehensive master plan was prepared in 1984 and Master Plan Re-examination Reports were adopted a number of times since then.

"As a result of the reviews they kept adding new zones," he said.

Susan Gruel of the New Brunswick firm of Heyer and Gruel, the borough's new planners, presented the firm's preliminary recommendations on proposed changes to the borough's master plan at the Dec. 13 Planning Board meeting.

Gruel reported at that time that the borough has too many zoning categories (26) and recommended paring them down.

The master plan contains four elements: goals and objectives, community profile, land use element and relationship to other plans.

Among the goals are to encourage balanced development, promote land use designed to create centers of activity, preserve and protect neighborhoods, encourage appropriate diversity of housing types, coordinate transportation planning, enhance pedestrian connections.

It also recommends fully integrating affordable housing throughout the borough and to discourage additional age-restricted and high- density residential development in all but the southeast area of the borough.

One objective is to limit new large-scale residential development, particularly in areas designated as IOP (Industrial/Office Park) on the Land Use Plan.

The report does not recommend change in the northern end of the nine-mile long, 1 3/4-mile wide town because it is largely built-out, but they do recommend a commercial and industrial focus in the southeast section and residential development in the southwest.

The report recommends maintaining and expanding the borough's employment base and targeting the southwest quadrant as the future major industrial center and to continue to pursue the establishment of a post office and ZIP code for the borough as well as creating a multipurpose community center and a new ADA-accessible library with adequate size and sufficient parking.

The borough has designated two areas in need of redevelopment - one is the area on Route 66 where the outlet mall is to be built and the other is the site of the former CECOM building on Tinton Avenue where the plan calls for high-density, age-restricted housing.

The report addresses circulation and conservation objectives as well as recreation, utilities and historic preservation objectives.

Because the borough is so long, it is bordered by nine towns: Lincroft, Red Bank, Colts Neck, Wall, Neptune, Ocean, Eatontown and Shrewsbury Borough and Township.

The existing zoning in the surrounding towns has to be taken into consideration when developing a master plan and needs to be sensitive to nearby residential dwellings, the report said.

A copy of the Proposed Amendments to the Land Use Element, Zone Plan and Goals and Objectives of the master Plan has been filed in the Planning Board administrative office and may be inspected by the public between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Tinton Falls Municipal Building located at 556 Tinton Ave.