Mayor Requests Planning Board to begin Public Review of Master Plan in 2021
Public Input Sought in Winter/Spring ‘21 for Land Use, Transportation, Open Space and Recreational Planning
MONROE TOWNSHIP – November 25, 2020 – At its December 2nd meeting, the Monroe Township Planning Board, with the support of Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro is scheduled to discuss the reopening of the municipal master plan, which would begin in early 2021.
Originally slated for 2020 – but curtailed because of the public health crisis – the Township will launch a full public engagement and community-wide program to obtain valuable input.
“We are committed to a thorough review of Monroe’s master plan that includes providing an opportunity for our community to weigh in on the future of our Township,” explained Mayor Tamburro. “This is an opportunity for us to further explore ways to control development, invest in traffic improvements and gain momentum on our march toward 50% preserved open space in the Township for our residents and our future.”
The Township will be reopening and updating the following elements of its master plan: including the land use plan, transportation plan and parks, open space plan and recreation plan. As a prelude to that effort, the Planning Board this winter will review a reexamination report to highlight current status.
“As part of this process, we will evaluate the current state of our state Supreme Court-ordered affordable housing requirements, which comprises 96 percent of the future housing growth in our Township over the next five or more years,” Mayor Tamburro said. He added, “Monroe was originally faced with a much greater number of court mandated affordable units, but we were successful in reducing that amount by more than half.”
Mayor Tamburro said the Master Plan review will focus on municipal land use zoning, road and transit improvements. It will set a vision for future open space acquisitions, as well as new parks and recreation planning.
The Mayor and Planning Board will be announcing this winter a comprehensive public outreach campaign for the master plan, including community-wide surveys, public workshops and other aggressive ways to solicit community input.
All relevant documents will be posted on the municipal website, MonroeTwp.com, for public review as the process move forward.
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All media inquiries may be directed to the Monroe Township’s Public Information Officer Stacey Kennedy at 732-521-4400 or