Middle Township Wins State Planning Award

COURT HOUSE — Middle Township was awarded the New Jersey Planning Official’s Achievement in Planning Award for its 2010 Master Plan. The township was nominated by the New Jersey Office of Planning Advocacy for a “municipality achieving a special project which makes a significant contribution to planning.”
Middle Township formally entered into the Office for Planning Advocacy’s Plan Endorsement Process in December 2006. Since then they have been working to ensure that planned land use is consistent with the capacity of the land and infrastructure.
Middle Township is the first locality in the state to complete and apply the nitrate dilution modeling required in NJDEP’s water quality management rules. This analysis was included in the land use element of the master plan and demonstrated that the water quality of each watershed will not be substantially degraded by potential future development based on the proposed zoning. The township is currently revising the Zoning Ordinance to implement the recommendations of the Master Plan.
According to the Office of Planning Advocacy’s nomination form, Middle Township’s “commitment to capacity-based planning has provided New Jersey’s municipalities with a cutting edge example of how to achieve long term sustainability.”
The Master Plan was completed by Maser Consulting and the Middle Township Master Plan Committee led by resident Bob Noel and the Planning Board. There were a series of public “visioning” meetings that took place in 2008 with Planning Board and Master Plan Committee discussion until adoption by the Planning Board in July of 2010.
The Plan is based on “smart growth” principals advocated in the State Development and Redevelopment Plan that encourage and direct growth in the areas with existing infrastructure, called “centers.”
These centers promote a walkable mix of residential, office and retail spaces that reduce the frequency and distance of vehicular trips, and save money in infrastructure costs.
Mayor Susan Delanzo stated “it’s an honor to be recognized for the dedication, vision and hard work of the Master Plan committee as well as the participation by the public. The process was very encompassing, and afforded our residents many opportunities for public input. Clearly the vision of Middle Township’s future development was a community effort.”