Local news- Press Release
Highland Park New Jersey - Councilman Matt Hale Economic Development Year in Review 2023 03 January 2024 ( news )
Highland Park , state New Jersey ( By Press Release office)
Jan 03,2024
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The economic development team for Highland Park is led by Mayor Elsie Foster and Councilman Matt Hale . Councilmembers Stephanie Kim - Chohan and Matt Hersh served on the committee in 2023 and in 2024 Councilman Jason Postelnik will join the team . In addition , and perhaps more importantly , the team includes our economic development professional staff including;
Borough Administrator/Economic development director Teri Jover ,
Assistant Borough Administrator and NPP coordinator Emma Von Thun
Borough Planners Jim Constantine and Chris Cosenza
Code enforcement officer Scott Bresche
Borough Engineer Bruce Koch
Redevelopment Attorney Joe Bauman
Downtown Supermarket
At the start of 2023 , the only goal of the economic development team was to secure a new supermarket for Highland Park . We accomplished this goal and expect that the Super Fresh Supermarket will join our community in the summer of 2024 . The mayor , the council , the professional economic development team and the planning board held public meetings , passed redevelopment resolutions , collected data on Highland Park , reached out to supermarket operators and met with the landowners to make this a reality . We are excited about Super Fresh and look forward to it being a vibrant part of our community in 2024 .
Neighborhood Preservation Project
This was also a successful second year for the Neighborhood Preservation Program ( NPP ) . This program is designed to improve the Woodbridge Avenue Corridor , which has long been a neglected part of our community .
Some of the 2023 NPP accomplishments include;
Façade grant improvements for a number of local businesses including 106 Woodbridge , ANJA , B&B Auto , Best Realty , J&A , Pithari , Soma Vayu , Asian Garden , HP Laundromat
The first ever professional parking study of Woodbridge Avenue which will help guide future projects .
Partnered with Storefront Mastery and marketing and design consultant to conduct a comprehensive Woodbridge District Assessment & Five Storefront Accelerator Reports ( Asian Garden , Calico CPA , Best Realty , HP Laundromat , J&A ) .
Funded crosswalk bump out art projects at five locations and significant road improvements at South 11th and Woodbridge crosswalk .
Installation of winter snowflake lighting along the Woodbridge corridor .
Downtown Redevelopment Walking Tours
In the summer of 2023 , we led 3 “walking tours” of the downtown redevelopment projects . Over 150 Highland Parkers joined Councilman Hale on these tours of each of the 4 existing downtown redevelopment tracts . These tours offered residents yet another opportunity to hear about the redevelopment plans .
Downtown Redevelopment Tracts A and C
The economic development team has been working closely with our two conditional developers ( Garden Homes and Tantleff/Fidelco ) on Tracts A and Tract C of our redevelopment plan . Much of this year has been spent . . .
- helping to facilitate discussions between the conditional developers and local landowners on
acquisitions ,
- providing feedback on broad and big picture conceptions of Tract A and Tract C but also sharing design ideas with the professional staff .
- facilitating expansion of redevelopment areas and redevelopment plans .
It is our hope and intention that in early 2024 , the economic development team will share with the public concept plans for Tract C in various public meetings . With this feedback , we hope to be able to finalize plans for Tract C in 2024 .
Opening of South 3rd Avenue to Pedestrians
The economic development team continues to work with the State Department of Transportation on a Major Access Permit which will allow us to create a pedestrian plaza on south 3 rd avenue . Much of this is highly technical and complex engineering assessments of the pedestrian plaza . All indications are that we are headed for an approval of the plaza plan in 2024 . Once we have the approval from the DOT , we will begin the public process of designing the plaza .
Main Street Highland Park
As always , the economic development team works closely with Main Street Highland Park on all of their amazing events during the year . These include our amazing farmer’s market , the night owl markets , movie nights , Arts in the Park , the 5k , the town wide garage sale and many other great HP events .
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