COURT HOUSE – Middle Township passed a resolution during its June 21 Committee meeting to create a Plan Endorsement Citizens’ Advisory Committee to serve as a liaison between the township and the State Planning Commission (SPC) Office of Planning Advocacy (OPA) throughout the township’s State Plan Endorsement Process.
According to a release, the resolution aligns with the township’s goal to update its state plan endorsement by the State Planning Commission.
The Plan Endorsement Citizens’ Advisory Committee will act to increase public awareness of, and involvement by, the general public in planning for the future of the township. The primary purpose of the committee is to gain an understanding of the needs, desires and intentions of the community regarding land use. A representative of the governing body is included to assure the governing body is aware of issues being raised and to provide support from the community leadership in the efforts of the Committee.
Middle Township first received State Plan Endorsement in September 2011, a process that spans 10 years. The township currently is working with the OPA to update its plan.
Earlier this year, Middle Township also submitted its reexamination report to the state, which evaluated the municipality’s current goals, objectives, and land use policies within the existing master plan and provided a plan for the future growth of the township.
“On behalf of the Township Committee and our residents, I want to thank this committed and diverse group of citizens for stepping up to serve,” stated Mayor Timothy Donohue. “This is our hometown, and our residents and their elected officials should be the ones developing the vision to improve our overall quality of life, not the Trenton bureaucracy. I look forward to serving with this board to create a smart and sustainable long-range plan.”
The new committee comprises five to 10 members, including one representative of the governing body, a Class IV member of the planning board; one representative of a local board, commission, or committee who is not a member of the planning board; and two representatives of the public that do not hold a position, employment, or office with the municipality.
Those appointed to Middle Township’s Plan Endorsement Citizens’ Advisory Committee include Mayor Timothy Donohue; Susan Copson, Planning Board; Mark Saioni, Zoning Board; Rachel Shepherd, Environmental Commission; John Menz Jr., Rio Grande Fire Commission; and members of the public Gary Farrow and Tracey Cardwell.
Plan endorsement was developed by the State Planning Commission to provide assistance and coordination to municipalities, counties, regional and state agencies to meet the publicly supported goals of the State Planning Act (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 et seq). State action is necessary to help municipalities develop New Jersey’s economy while protecting the natural, historic, and recreational resources, providing adequate and diverse housing, and redeveloping cities and older suburban areas.
