Study aims to preserve Fair Haven's 'quaintness'
Redevelopment report to be topic of Dec. 17 council meeting
BY JENNA O'DONNELL Staff Writer

River Road in Fair Haven

FAIR HAVEN - The borough is looking to give its downtown area a more pedestrian-friendly facelift as residents prepare to discuss the final report from Project for Public Spaces (PPS).

The report, which was compiled by the New York-based community-planning organization, offers solutions for River Road that will make it more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists while also connecting and beautifying the downtown area.

"We want to make it a nicer place to shop, increase safety for pedestrians and bikers, and join what are two pretty separate downtown areas," said Fair Haven Mayor Michael Halfacre.

The two downtowns, according to residents interviewed for the PPS report, consist of the "Old Downtown" located around the intersection of Fair Haven and River roads, and the "New Downtown," which is anchored by the Acme supermarket.

Acme, like other businesses in the "New Downtown" of Fair Haven, has a parking lot facing the street with the retail set behind it, which, according to the PPS report, "does not create a Village feel or support the town's historic fabric."

According to the report, "There is much concern that, left unchecked, more of River Road will fall into this kind of suburban strip-mall, auto-oriented type of design and the quaintness of the community's main street will be lost forever."

The borough hired PPS in the spring after it applied for and was awarded a $40,000 grant by the Municipal Land Use Center of N.J., according to Halfacre.

Following months of field work in which the firm met with and surveyed residents, PPS submitted the final report in October.

The report is posted on the borough's Web page and offers a series of possible short-term and long-term solutions for downtown Fair Haven.

The goal is to make River Road a positive reflection of Fair Haven as "a beautiful, well-cared-for destination with displays of green, colorful and shady plantings, and the seam that connects all of Fair Haven's destinations."

In the short term, the borough has hired an engineer to work on delineating parallel parking in order to narrow some portions of River Road in order to slow traffic. Halfacre hopes to hear a report on the cost and how many spaces can be delineated, at the Dec. 17 meeting.

In addition to slowing traffic by delineating spaces, the proposed shortterm changes include creating, widening and enhancing walkways and creating bike paths to encourage pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Some possible actions that might be taken, according to PPC, include encouraging businesses to create pedestrianoriented signage and sidewalk displays, installing bike racks in front of stores, improving lighting, increasing and striping pedestrian crosswalks, bumpouts at corners and intersections, planting street trees, buffering parking lots with trees and shrubs, and adding or upgrading outdoor seating and tables by introducing park benches and umbrellas for shade.

In the long term, PPC recommended consolidating and relocating parking lots to accommodate walkways and public spaces.

The report also suggested creating a "pedestrian priority section" of River Road with a raised speed table and pavement treatment to match sidewalks and slow traffic. This would also include the introduction of "bumpouts," or sections of the curb or sidewalk that protrude into the street to narrow it.

To "create a sense of enhanced public spaces," PPC proposes that the borough install pocket parks and plazas at key points along River Road, often as a replacement for existing parking lots.

Possible locations for these pocket parks and plazas include the front of Borough Hall, Bicentennial Hall and the Masonic Temple, as well as in front of popular destinations such as the firehouse and retail stores.

Other suggestions include increasing the diversity of retail on River Road to include businesses such as a pharmacy and an ice cream shop.

The next step is for borough residents and council members to decide what should be done in light of the PPS report.

Those Fair Haven residents who missed the two workshops last summer will have an opportunity to make their voices heard regarding the redevelopment at the upcoming council meeting.

Halfacre hopes that residents will come to the council meeting to discuss different options and help come to a decision on what course of action should be taken.

"There are some things that we can do that will make it better, and there are some things that people will object to and may be hard to stomach at first, but there are many alternatives. The first step is to decide what alternatives to choose," said Halfacre.

"We need to sit as a council and as a town and discuss what our options are. What do we want to pursue as a town?"

The full Vision of the Future report can be found online at Fair Haven's Web page, www.fairhavennj.org.