2004 Master Plan Reexamination
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CITY OF EAST ORANGE Essex County, New Jersey 2004 MASTER PLAN REEXAMINATION April 2004 Prepared by: CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2004 City of East Orange Master Plan Reexamination Prepared for: City of East Orange Essex County, New Jersey Prepared by: Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc. 80 Cottontail Lane, Suite 320 Somerset, NJ 08873 732-564-1932 Daniel Kueper, P.P. License # 5332 Jamie Maurer, P.P. License # 5746 This report results from the contribution and comments of many concerned and dedicated elected officials, department heads, and key staff members. Special thanks are owed to the staff of Comprehensive Planning in the City of East Orange’s Department of Policy, Planning & Development. Their shared efforts and spirit of cooperation are demonstrated in this 2004 Master Plan Reexamination Report. HONORABLE ROBERT L. BOWSER, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS – 2004 Zachary V. Turner, Chairman Fourth Ward Thomas L. Brown First Ward Joyce C. Goore First Ward Jacquelyn E. Johnson Second Ward Ernest A. Savoy Second Ward Quilla E. Talmadge Third Ward Clinton L. Robinson Third Ward William C. Holt Fourth Ward Mary E. Patterson Fifth Ward David E. Clark Fifth Ward PLANNING BOARD – 2004 The following members of the Planning Board adopted this Master Plan Reexamination Report: Robert L. Bowser- Mayor Joyce Goore - Councilwoman Everett J. Jennings- Chair Carol Jenkins-Cooper- Vice Chair Lloyd Abdul-Raheem Bennie Brown Everett T. Felder Jesse Jeffries Reginald Lewis Yvonne Donna Marshall Barbara Weaver STAFF The following staff contributed to the drafting of this Master Plan Reexamination Report: James A. Slaughter Director, Department of Policy Planning & Development Glenn Arnold Manager, Division of Neighborhood Housing & Revitalization Michèle S. Delisfort Manager, Division of Comprehensive Planning Naiima H. Fauntleroy Land Use Administrator, Division of Comprehensive Planning Norma Mackey Manager, Division of Economic Development Zunilda Rodriguez Principal Planner, Division of Comprehensive Planning Renee Ziegler Manager, Division of Community Development TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................1 LAND USE AND ZONING .........................................................................................................................2 Land Use ...................................................................................................................................................4 Zoning.......................................................................................................................................................4 HOUSING.....................................................................................................................................................6 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................................................................9 HISTORIC PRESERVATION....................................................................................................................13 COMMUNITY FACILITIES......................................................................................................................14 Education ................................................................................................................................................14 Fire Department ......................................................................................................................................15 Health Care .............................................................................................................................................16 Libraries ..................................................................................................................................................17 Public Works...........................................................................................................................................20 PUBLIC UTILITIES...................................................................................................................................21 TRANSPORTATION .................................................................................................................................22 RECREATION............................................................................................................................................24 WARD 1......................................................................................................................................................28 WARD 2......................................................................................................................................................30 WARD 3......................................................................................................................................................31 WARD 4......................................................................................................................................................33 WARD 5......................................................................................................................................................35 CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................................................................36 East Orange Master Plan Reexamination, April 2004 i Orth-Rodgers & Associates INTRODUCTION This Master Plan Reexamination has been prepared to comply with the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-89), which requires that municipalities in New Jersey re-examine their master plan every six years. This is a reexamination of the 1990 East Orange Master Plan. In accordance with the Municipal Land Use Law, the following issues have been addressed: • The major problems and objectives of land development in 1990; • The degree to which these problems and objectives have been reduced or increased since 1990; • Major changes that have occurred in the assumptions, policies and objectives from the 1990 Master Plan; • Changes recommended for the East Orange Master Plan or development regulations; • Recommended changes to effectuate redevelopment plans. As part of this reexamination effort, department heads and program managers throughout the City were interviewed on the progress that the City had made in accomplishing goals stated in the 1990 Master Plan. The 1990 Master Plan has as its vision statement the proposal that “the city and its neighborhoods first and always be developed for the livability they offer people, both those already here and those who will come after them. In putting people first, East Orange must attend to its economic health, the education of its children, equality of opportunity, and its historic, cultural and ethnic heritage.” The 1990 Master Plan remains the guiding document for the City of East Orange. This reexamination offers the opportunity to assess the city’s success in achieving the goals expressed in the 1990 Master Plan, and to further decide what goals to emphasize in the future. The most important theme expressed in the process of this reexamination has been to continue, and even accelerate, the redevelopment of East Orange. Nationwide and in New Jersey, the opportunities afforded by the redevelopment of urban areas are being closely examined. There is an increasing emphasis upon the potential for redeveloping existing centers with infrastructure, rather than continuously extending development into the countryside. There is a growing appreciation of the cultural and visual diversity available in cities. East Orange’s neighbor, Newark, has begun to experience a revival, fueled by new entertainment attractions and the development and re-development of commercial space. In tending to its own redevelopment, East Orange has established an Urban Enterprise Zone, established a Business Improvement District along Central Avenue, identified redevelopment areas and implemented redevelopment plans, and taken steps to establish a diversified, stable economic base. East Orange Master Plan Reexamination, April 2004 1 Orth-Rodgers & Associates LAND USE AND ZONING Major Problems and Objectives in 1990 and Status and Changes since 1990 As predicted in the 1990 Master Plan, few major land use changes have taken place in East Orange since 1990, given East Orange’s nearly built-out condition. However, the City’s use of the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL) and designation of redevelopment areas, as well as implementation of redevelopment plans, has been a major undertaking since the 1990 Master Plan. Since 1990, the City has begun evaluation of, or designated 10 areas in need of redevelopment, and many of the redevelopment projects are underway or have been completed. One major change that has occurred is the closing of Upsala College in 1995. A 22-acre parcel on that site was purchased by the City of East Orange and now houses a new citywide high school. The remaining 20 acres were found to be “unproductive” and “hazardous” in a determination of needs study in 2003. Later that year, a redevelopment plan was prepared for the site, calling for market-rate residential uses in character with the existing neighborhood. Construction for the 49 single-family detached and 16 townhome project is slated to begin in Spring-Summer 2004. Another redevelopment project the City has undertaken is the Dr. King Plaza (Muir’s Berkeley- Brick Church)