Coastal plan addresses redevelopment issues
Plan aims to create vision for future of coastal region
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer
Ameeting and open house to update the public on the progress of the Coastal Monmouth Plan was held April 30 at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library in Shrewsbury.

The Coastal Monmouth Plan, which covers 30 municipalities from Sea Bright to Manasquan, addresses open space, redevelopment and impact of future growth.

The goal of the plan is to create a vision and planning strategy for the Coastal Monmouth Region (CMR) in order to cooperatively address development issues on a regional scale, according to county project director, Joe Barris.

"This is a ground-up, grassroots approach to regional planning," said Barris in an e-mail May 2. "The plan takes municipal and stakeholder concerns and places them in a regional context.

"By using this approach, we uncover the common challenges facing each community in the region and begin to formulate appropriate regional strategies to deal with these issues," he said.

According to Barris, another goal of the plan is to address the issues of the CMR in a manner that is sensitive to the region's coastal setting and environment, diverse community character and cultural and aesthetic resources.

Initiated by the Monmouth County Planning Board, the Coastal Monmouth Plan was launched at a meeting on Nov. 20, 2006, at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, according to a Monmouth County press release.

The project is being undertaken by the Monmouth County Planning Board in consultation with Maser Consulting, P.A., according to the press release.

The plan focuses on strategies related to the regional economy, housing, cooperation, environment and transportation, said Barris.

"The future of housing, the economy, transportation and the environment concerns all of us, especially those who live and work in the coastal region," said Freeholder John D' Amico Jr. in a press release. "I encourage everyone … to learn what those issues entail and how the county is proposing to deal with them to promote economic and sustainable growth, while protecting the environment and maintaining the area's unique coastal character."

D'Amico is the freeholder liaison to the county Planning Board and along with about 25 members of the public was present at the April 30 meeting.

"The public meeting [was] designed to open up the process even further by providing local citizens and members of the public who have not yet become involved in the planning effort the opportunity to hear about progress to date, voice concerns and submit comments or suggestions for consideration and possible inclusion in the final plan," said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, who is also a member of the county Planning Board. "We are studying some vitally important issues."

Plan participants include representatives from each of the communities in the study area, as well as county and state officials and community stakeholders such as affordable housing advocates and environmental groups.

State agency involvement includes the N.J. Department of Transportation (DOT), NJ Transit, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Office of Smart Growth.

Those stakeholders have been attending meetings and workshops regularly for the last 18 months.

Completion of the final plan is targeted for winter 2009, with a draft version due by this coming fall, according to the press release.

"Now that we've presented our findings to the public, our next task is to create the draft plan. Once the draft is completed this fall, we look forward to getting feedback from the regional collaborative members who have helped guide this project as well as a chance to solicit more comments from the public," said consultant project manager Marcia Shiffman, Maser Consulting, in an e-mail.

The plan, when adopted, will become part of the county's master plan called the Growth Management Guide.

This is the third of five regional plans to be undertaken by the county Planning Board, said assistant Monmouth County planner Bonnie Goldschlag.

"Our goal … is to prepare regional planning studies for each of the five planning regions in the county," said Goldschlag.

She said the plans for the western Monmouth and Bayshore regions have already been completed.

After the completion of the Coastal Monmouth Plan, the next regional plan will involve the panhandle region and then the central Monmouth region, she said.

"We want to get these plans endorsed by the State Planning Commission in order to enable municipalities to get additional funding for implementing the plans," said Goldschlag. "The state provides technical assistance to help carry out recommendations in plan."

She added, "These can be used by municipalities when they update their master plan. It is a good resource for them."