Studio Advisors: Stephanie DiPetrillo and Cailean Carr
Authors: Daniel Burton, Loan My Dao, Maria Luz Laham, Nicola Mammes, Damian Slater, Michael Thompson, Brandon Williams, and Ian Watson
This studio aimed to assist the Morris County Town of Boonton (pop. 8500) advance its transit-oriented development (TOD) goals. Boonton wished to invigorate its historic downtown through redevelopment and recognized that its public transportation assets — a station on NJ TRANSIT’s Montclair-Boonton line and commuter bus connections to New York — form a nexus for growth.
Though the community seeks redevelopment, maintaining its historic character remains a priority. The community expressed interest in becoming a New Jersey Transit Village and to take part in NJ Department of Transportation’s Transit Village Initiative. Boonton was awarded a Community Planning Assistance Program (CPAP) grant by the APA of New Jersey in early 2015 that helped the community refine its vision and provided support in service of its Transit Village program application. The Bloustein studio drew upon the work accomplished through the APA-NJ grant and identified further strategies that the community can use to move their TOD plans and Transit Village application process forward.