NJTOD.org

NJTOD.org

New Jersey's Transit Friendly Planning Newsletter

  • About Us
    • NJTOD.org Advisory Board
    • NJTOD Staff
  • What is TOD?
  • Articles
    • Features
    • NJ TOD & Transit Village
    • TOD News Briefs
    • Recommended Resources
    • All Articles
  • Resources
    • Online Opportunities for TOD Learning
    • Transit Friendly Planning Data Application
    • VTC Research
    • TOD Literature
      • Active Transportation & Transit
      • Case Studies & Guidebooks
      • Development & Redevelopment
      • Employment
      • Equitable TOD (eTOD)
      • Financing & Economics
      • Health & Environment
      • Housing
      • Parking
    • NJTOD Partners & Other Resources
  • Videos
    • NJTOD Videos
    • TOD Videos
  • Transit Friendly Planning
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
NJ TOD News 

Somerset County Plans for TOD

May 21, 2005August 27, 2018 Steph_Admin Bound Brook NJ, Branchburg NJ, Issue 1, Montgomery Township NJ, public engagement, public outreach, Somerset County NJ, Somerville NJ

Somerset County will soon complete work on a major transit-oriented development study. The study, which began in 2004 with a grant from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, has identified sites in the county with TOD potential and provided station-area plans and implementation strategies for three pilot locations. The county is working on the project with the Philadelphia-based planning firm, Wallace Roberts & Todd. Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates in New York and the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University are also members of the study team. The conceptual plans that are being produced are meant to provide a guide for municipalities to effectively implement TOD planning at the local level, focusing on design, regulatory policy, and financial strategies to facilitate implementation on the site.

https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/about/county-info/maps/locator-map
Somerset County, New Jersey
Source: Somerset County, NJ

In 2004, community meetings were held in April and July to both educate the public on the concept of TOD (the ½ mile circle around the transit station) and garner their suggestions and concerns. Three pilot locations were ultimately selected, all on NJ TRANSIT’s Raritan Valley Line. They included the Somerville landfill site in Somerville, the area immediately surrounding the train station in Bound Brook and a large light industrial area south of Route 22 in Branchburg. In early December, conceptual visions for the three sites were presented to the municipalities. For Somerville there was a proposal for the development of a mixture of residential and commercial spaces within a grid street pattern conforming to the site’s surroundings. In Bound Brook recommendations for the downtown area included the creation of a civic plaza and revitalization of the Brook Cultural Art Center. For Branchburg there was a call to relocate the existing train stop and create around it a compact mixed-use development with recreational amenities. Final public hearings will be held shortly.

In addition to the county’s TOD study, many of Somerset’s municipalities have been engaged in planning for TOD and smart growth in recent years. In 2004, Somerville received a $50,000 grant for TOD planning from New Jersey’s Office of Smart Growth. In 2003, Bound Brook received Transit Village designation from NJDOT’s Transit Village Initiative. And in 2002, Montgomery Township became a pilot community for the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Smart Growth Index, a program that models alternatives for future development.

  • ← Smart Commute Mortgages Make Housing Near Transit a Smart Choice
  • Transit Village Update: New Transit Villages Named! →

Recent NJTOD News

The Week in TOD News June 18-24, 2022
TOD News Briefs 

The Week in TOD News June 18-24, 2022

June 27, 2022 Tim Staub Comments Off on The Week in TOD News June 18-24, 2022
Planning for Transit-Friendly Food Access
Features 

Planning for Transit-Friendly Food Access

June 22, 2022 Stephanie DiPetrillo Comments Off on Planning for Transit-Friendly Food Access
The Week in TOD News June 11-17, 2022
TOD News Briefs 

The Week in TOD News June 11-17, 2022

June 20, 2022 Stephanie DiPetrillo Comments Off on The Week in TOD News June 11-17, 2022
The Week in TOD News June 4-10, 2022
TOD News Briefs 

The Week in TOD News June 4-10, 2022

June 13, 2022 Stephanie DiPetrillo Comments Off on The Week in TOD News June 4-10, 2022

From the NJTOD Archives

Transit-Friendly Planning, Land Use and Development Program Stakeholder Survey

Transit-Friendly Planning, Land Use and Development Program Stakeholder Survey

January 29, 2020 Stephanie DiPetrillo Comments Off on Transit-Friendly Planning, Land Use and Development Program Stakeholder Survey
Reinventing Metropark Station: From Suburban Park-and-Ride to TOD Community

Reinventing Metropark Station: From Suburban Park-and-Ride to TOD Community

November 28, 2020 Stephanie DiPetrillo Comments Off on Reinventing Metropark Station: From Suburban Park-and-Ride to TOD Community
PenTrans: Advocates for TOD in Pennsylvania

PenTrans: Advocates for TOD in Pennsylvania

May 16, 2006 Steph_Admin Comments Off on PenTrans: Advocates for TOD in Pennsylvania
Review: Fiscal Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development Projects

Review: Fiscal Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development Projects

February 16, 2018 Steph_Admin Comments Off on Review: Fiscal Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development Projects

Project Partners

NJTOD is a collaboration of:

NJ TRANSIT

Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Contact Information

We’d love to hear from you. Send us questions, comments, and ideas for upcoming articles.

NJTOD
33 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
njtod@ejb.rutgers.edu
(848) 932-6812

About NJTOD

NJTOD informs New Jersey on what is happening in the state and around the country in TOD: best practices, model programs, legislation, and local problem-solving experiences.

Copyright © 2022 NJTOD.org