Master Plan Reexamination and Update for the Township of Millburn
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MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION AND UPDATE FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Prepared for The Township of Millburn Planning Board by PHILLIPS PREISS GRYGIEL LEHENY HUGHES LLC Planning & Real Estate Consultants Adopted December 19, 2018 FORWARD MILLBURNPROUD PAST, BRIGHT FUTURE PHOTO CREDIT: MARILYN ATLAS-BERNEY Prepared for MASTER PLAN The Township of Millburn Planning Board REEXAMINATION REPORT by Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes LLC Planning & Real Estate Consultants Paul A. Phillips, AICP, PP FOR THE 33-41 Newark Street New Jersey Professional Planner License TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, Third Floor, Suite D #3046 ESSEX COUNTY, Hoboken, NJ 07030 NEW JERSEY Elizabeth C. Leheny, AICP, PP Adopted December 19, 2018 New Jersey Professional Planner License #6133 All images PPGLH unless otherwise noted. MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION AND UPDATE FOR ii THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Acknowledgements PHOTO CREDIT: MARILYN ATLAS-BERNEY Township Committee Planning Board Planning Board Professionals Cheryl H. Burstein Mayor Kenneth Leiby Chairman Edward Buzak, Esq. Attorney Jodi Rosenberg Deputy Mayor Beth Zall Vice Chairwoman Martha Callahan, PE Township Engineer Sam Levy Committeeman Elaine Becker Paul A. Phillips, AICP, PP Planner Dianne Thall-Eglow Committeewoman Miriam Salerno Elizabeth C. Leheny, AICP, PP Planner Jackie Benjamin Lieberberg Committeewoman Daniel Baer Eileen Davitt Zoning Officer/ Roger Manshel Board Secretary Alexander McDonald Business Administrator Joseph Steinberg Christine Gatti, RMC, CMR Township Clerk Cheryl Burstein Christopher H. Falcon Township Attorney Dianne T. Eglow Marc Matsil Alternate 1 Marilyn Atlas-Berney Alternate 2 MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION AND UPDATE FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY iii Table of Contents 1 Introduction 7 Status of 2008 Issues & Objectives 21 Changes Since the 2008 Master Plan Reexamination 35 Key Issues Identified in the Community Outreach Process 41 Goals and Objectives 47 Master Plan Recommendations 77 Redevelopment/Rehabilitation Plans and Areas MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION AND UPDATE FOR iv THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY INTRODUCTION Overview of Millburn The Township of Millburn possesses an exceptional mix of assets—architectural, cultural, educational, commercial, locational, recreational and natural—which distinguish it as a highly sought-after place to live. Set among tree-lined roadways in western Essex County, the predominantly single-family res- idential community is organized into a series of neighborhoods with established Downtown business districts. Each neighborhood displays distinctive, well-kept homes, some of which are in a Nation- al Register of Historic Places historic district. In addition to residential uses, Millburn boasts several renowned cultural institutions including the Paper Mill Playhouse, Cora Hartshorn Arboretum, Green- wood Gardens and Millburn Free Public Library. It is home to the region’s premiere shopping desti- nation: the upscale Mall at Short Hills, as well as a compact, walkable downtown area. The Township can also claim an increasingly rare feature—a movie theater in the heart of its Downtown. Among the Downtown’s other amenities is a NJ Transit station which offers direct access into Manhattan via New Jersey Transit’s Midtown Direct. In less than 45 minutes passengers can travel from Millburn to MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION AND UPDATE FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY 1 Introduction New York’s Pennsylvania Station. There the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law is also another train station in Short Hills (“MLUL”) at N.J.S.A. 40:55D-89. The MLUL with a post office and small businesses and requires that each municipality in New offices. The Township is easily accessible to Jersey undertake a periodic review and Interstate 78, Route 24, the Garden State examination of its local Master Plan and de- Parkway, and is only 20 miles from New velopment regulations. The mandated time York City. Millburn’s accessibility to mass frame for the periodic reexamination is 10 transit and the highway network make daily years. The planning board is responsible for commutes to New York City convenient for completing the reexamination, and prepar- many residents. ing and adopting by resolution a report on the findings of the reexamination. Further, a The Master Plan Reexamina- Recreational offerings include Gero Park statutorily compliant reexamination report with a swimming pool, golf course and play- provides a presumption of validity of the tion Report is a vision document ing fields; Old Short Hills Park; and Taylor municipal zoning ordinance under the law. that will provide a path forward for Park. The Township also boasts the South This Master Plan Reexamination Report Mountain Reserve, a 2,000-acre County represents an on-going effort on the part of the next 10 years. The Master Plan Park, half of which is in Millburn. Further, the Millburn Township to ensure that its plan- Millburn Township Public School District is ning policies, along with its land use goals should encourage and respect the acclaimed throughout the state and nation and objectives remain current and effective for its academic excellence and high student in addressing the issues facing the Town- changes in the market, the way we achievement. There are also three private ship. The primary purpose of the Master communicate and the way we live. schools in town: The Far Brook School; the Plan is to guide the use of land. It is based Pingry Lower School; and St. Rose of Lima, on an examination of past trends, existing a Roman Catholic school. Millburn is a draw conditions and reasonable expectations for families wishing to take advantage of the for the future. The purpose of the report Township’s school system, access to train is to review and evaluate the master plan service, and quality of life. and municipal development regulations in order to determine the need for updates and revisions to properly direct the future Purpose of the Master Plan growth, development and redevelopment of Reexamination Report Millburn Township. The report builds upon This document is a Master Plan Reexam- the Board’s prior Master Plan work and the ination Report for Millburn as required by land use ordinances which have guided the MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION AND UPDATE FOR 2 THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBURN, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Introduction Township over the years. It seeks to main- Block 5303, Lots 3 and 4. In April 2018, the Hills Street Fair and Craft Show from 11 am tain and reinforce the Township’s land use Planning Board adopted a Housing Element to 5 pm on April 22, 2018. Visitors to the policies to encourage appropriate growth and Fair Share Plan. booth could speak with members of the while maintaining a high quality of life Planning Board regarding the goals of the enjoyed by Millburn residents. It is a vision The Planning Board involved the community Plan, receive a plan brochure, and/or fill out document that will provide a path forward from the earliest stages of the process, in a community survey. for the next 10 years. The Master Plan should order to obtain valuable input and feedback encourage and respect the changes in the from Township leadership, local residents, PPGLH then met with a number of Township market, the way we communicate and the municipal employees, and the local busi- representatives including the Chairs of the way we live. ness community. The Board’s intent was Planning and Zoning Boards, the Fire De- to conduct as inclusive and meaningful a partment Chief, representatives from Public community outreach process as possible. Works, the Zoning Officer, the Construction Planning Process The first step was to get the word out to Code Official, Chief of Police, Township In Spring 2018 the Planning Board created the community about the plan and dissemi- Engineer, Director of Parks and Recreation, a Master Plan Subcommittee which consist- nate plan information to as many people as Business Administrator, Superintendent ed of four of its members. The role of the possible. This was done through the cre- and Business Administrator of the Board Subcommittee was to work with and guide ation of a Facebook page, a plan brochure, of Education, Senior Citizen Coordinator, the Board’s planners, Phillips Preiss Grygiel email blasts, and links to pertinent informa- representatives from Downtown Millburn, Leheny Hughes LLC (PPGLH), in the prepa- tion from the Township’s website. Millburn and representatives from Millburn/Short ration of this reexamination report. Master Plan 2018 survey was created on Hills Chamber of Commerce. The goals of SurveyMonkey.com and received over 650 these stakeholder interviews were both to There were a multitude of plans to review responses. The survey sought community establish relationships and trust with those prior to working on this report. The Town- input on housing, shopping, development, who are most knowledgeable about Millburn ship’s most recent Master Plan was prepared quality of life, and other community topics, and to gain a general understanding of the in 1985, with an amendment in early 1987 in addition to information about the respon- major issues, opportunities and challenges to adopt the Housing Element, as required dent (i.e., how long respondent lived in Mill- that should be addressed in the report. under the Fair Housing Act and the Munic- burn, which neighborhood respondent lived ipal Land Use Law. Reexamination reports in, age cohort, etc.). Links to the survey Following the stakeholder interviews, the were adopted in 1991, 1994, 2002 and 2008, were provided on the Township’s website, Planning Board held a visioning session on and an updated Housing Element in 1997. discussed at Planning Board meetings and May 19, 2018 open to the entire community In 2014, the Planning Board adopted an were provided in an email blast to residents. with members of the planning consultant Amendment to the Land Use Plan Element Additionally, the Planning Board staffed a team on hand to facilitate.