Two of four proposed areas are current train stations.
Early on in the first term of Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, I schlepped over to Westfield for an 8:00 A.M. Raritan Valley Coalition meeting at which the Mayor presented plans for 'transit-oriented development' she was going to undertake.
Her flashy foamboards held maps with four development circles scribed at ¼- and ½-mile radii from the city's rail stations.
This included former stops at Grant and Clinton Avenues that had long ago closed when the blue-collar factory workers that used them got cars after WWII and the West End factories themselves went into decline in the1950s and '60s.
If there ever was a chance those stations would be revived, recent economic conditions should act like a cold shower to awaken us from that feverish dream.
That does not, however, mean that Plainfield shouldn't have a 'Transit Village' designation.
The question is, as we enter Mayor Robinson-Briggs' second term, why don't we yet have the designation?
Especially since the concept is apparently alive and well, as witness stories about Somerville (see here) and North Brunswick (see here) in today's papers.
The designation would mean technical assistance from the state as well as attention from a Transit Village Task Force of state agencies.
Shouldn't the city be hustling to take advantage of every dollar in grants and technical assistance it can get, especially as our own budget woes are only getting worse and Gov. Christie is tightening up at the state level?
Will the proposed NJIT study position us for the designation?
Will getting the designation be a top priority for Mayor Robinson-Briggs' new Director of Public Works and Urban Development David Brown?
Will such a designation help fast-track the developments proposed by Frank Cretella?
What are we waiting for?
I hope not a third Robinson-Briggs term.
- Courier --
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Posts
5 comments:
I thought Jacques Howard did that presentation.
It is sad that Plainfield has not followed through with the Transit Village initiative. Plainfield has essentially been a transit village since its inception in the 19th century. While I no longer live in Plainfield, I see Plainfield as ripe for rejuvenation with rail transit at its core. I now live in Easton PA where I am working with other citizens to reestablish rail transit links. I am also a person who has worked (and was a lifelong resident) in Plainfield to encourage positive development. Please, someone, pick up the ball and run with it.
Bob Johnson
When I was working for the city we submitted two applications to the State for Transit Village Designation for the downtown station. With the first the state critiqued our package and suggested improvements which we undertook such as including transit oriented development design criteria into our downtown redevelopment plans. With our second application they told us we had made a very strong case for designation. The only thing we were missing (that would have sealed the deal) was a designated redeveloper for the North Ave area. We all ground our teeth on this because we had a very good developer who had been seriously interested. They were rejected by the City Council at the time because they were not minorities and the governing body did not want to spend any money on negotiating the agreement even though the developer agreed to pay half our costs.
Fast forward to today -- City Hall can resurrect our application from the files and submit it since they have designated a developer for that area. This could have happened a few years ago.
Pat Ballard Fox
Dan, there were plenty of "white collar workers who used the Grant Ave Station, to commute to NYC or Newark, transfer at E-port.Many lived in the third ward or the southern part of fourth ward ,which was mostly "blue collar."
When I was discharged from service 1946, for 3 months I commuted daily at this time of the year to NYC and uptown to Mt Sinai to relearn basics medicine.
This generation that has missed the CRNJ Camlback locomotives and the ferry ride has lost some of the romance of life.
@ 10:15 AM -- Am I misremembering? I know Jacques was there. I remember it was an 8 AM meeting. Was the Mayor actually there, or was she advertised as slated to make the presentation? I know 8 AM is a bit early for Her Honor. Does anyone have the tape?
Post a Comment