We brought you the news in May, but it’s now official – Montclair is a Transit Village, thanks to its efforts to create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods near a public transportation center, which in the process also helps ease road congestion, according to NJ’s Department of Transportation.
The designation allows the town to apply for a $100,000 grant that supports Transit Village planning efforts.
This, in Montclair’s case, centers around the Bay St Station on NJT’s Montclair-Boonton commuter rail line.
Redevelopment around the Bay St Station encompasses a 9-acre area which will include a transportation center, a new commuter parking deck, 163 new residential units, a new daycare center, pedestrian amenities and a new municipal firestation and HQ, Tim Greeley of NJDOT told Baristanet.
“The designation is based on redevelopment plans so some of these projects are currently in the works, while others are just that – plans – at this time,” Greeley said.
The Transit Village program encourages towns to surround transit facilities with a mix of residential, retail and commercial uses, Gov. Chris Christie said late on Thursday when the designation was announced. Such efforts would stimulate local economies, boost the value of transit investments and help the environment.
Mayor Jerry Fried said the township was excited about the designation, which would spur Montclair’s growth and quality of life.
“Our six train stations and their accompanying shopping areas along with our extensive central business district make this town one of the most walkable suburbs anywhere,” he said. “Well-designed mixed-use development helps keeps dollars local, while reducing the negative effects of overdependence on the automobile.”
As a Transit Village, Montclair:
* has state commitment to its vision for redevelopment
* will enjoy coordination among state agencies making up the Transit Village task force
* will get priority funding and technical assistance from some state agencies
* has access to grants from NJDOT’s dedicated Transit Village funding
Among neighboring cities, South Orange, Bloomfield and Orange are also Transit Villages. For more on the transit village initiative, spearheaded by NJDOT and NJT, click here.
Shades of European style social engineering, and I’m all for it.
Mayor Jerry Fried said the township was excited about the designation, which would spur Montclair’s growth and quality of life.
Maybe it will, but lowering property taxes would accomplish that and more.
Sadly, he and the rest of the council will find some way to screw this up and use it as an excuse to raise them.
Remember, these are clowns who say not having trains blow their horns results in a cost of over a million dollars.
Sorry if I missed mention of this somewhere else, but what happened to “the thumbs”?
Just like Maplewood has been for decades.
Bloomfield Too! And they’ve done nothing. Can’t even hack through the weeds. If they fill that giant hole with water, at least we could swim.
As a Transit Village, Montclair… has state commitment to its vision for redevelopment
Really? Or does it just “allow Montclair to apply” for state aid? Not much of a commitment.
Wake me up when the check for $100k clears.
Yeah, thumbs down to no more thumbs!
“Redevelopment around the Bay St Station encompasses a 9-acre area which will include a transportation center, a new commuter parking deck, 163 new residential units, a new daycare center, pedestrian amenities and a new municipal firestation and HQ, Tim Greeley of NJDOT told Baristanet.”
Just a few quick questions: There are 9 empty acres there? What’s a ‘transportation center’? Another parking deck?? Even more housing!? What are they going to do with the old new fire department headquarters?! Etc.
Yes, I have the same question. Which nine acres?
Great news!
The challenge will be, managing construction costs.
If $100,000 was almost enough money to build 1.5 seats in an elementary school, how will $100,000 in capital help our Transit Village?
Presumably by reducing the loan we taxpayers must take out to build something new. Perhaps a crosswalk can be had for $1,000,000. Then we’ll be able to borrow just $900,000.
Great news!
Dear It’s,
I’m a little confused too! I think the writer is referring to projects that are ALREADY there!
The driving force for this designation was the town’s Business Improvement District, or BID, under Tom Lonergan’s leadership. I understand he has a list of NEW, exciting, projects.
As I’ve written elsewhere, the area needs PLANNING. The new firehouse COULD HAVE BEEN a firehouse combined with something else, say a new Municipal Building. That would have allowed for outside funding so Montclair wouldn’t have had to pay the full freight (and we wouldn’t STILL be planning on buying the Police Parking Lot for $500,000 plus).
Transit village designation implies friendliness to and safety for pedestrians. I don’t think Montclair qualifies, sadly. Every morning it is the same curse festival coming out of a different driver’s mouth when I attempt to cross a Blfd Ave and Bell St, on a green light so I can catch a NJ Transit bus. In general, pedestrian life is becoming increasingly risky.
Good for Montclair, though, and hopefully, pedestrians will stay alive through all the beautification.
As for the thumbs, thumbs down, which is what I usually get when I don’t support all the efforts/activities of this wonderful town.
Enough already with the not-very-disguised praise of and cozying up to Mayor Fried. What happened to the promised Part 3 of his apologia (which was a truly self-damning document in all its whingeing)?
Yes, very confusing to see them talking about a “new commuter parking deck”. Are they for real? They just built the existing deck about 5 years ago. The planning was horrible. It was too small from day one. The Town had tons of open land around the Bay St Station and they chose to build a deck that was way too small. Then they put condos/apts on the remaining land, so the station is totally boxed in.
If they are truly considering building another deck, where will they put it, and where’s they money coming from? How is this not a case of mismanagement and poor planning? This sounds similar to the Town selling the Deron school on Grove St. for $1MM a number of years ago, then spending $34MM to build the new Bullock school a few blocks away.
Isn’t this just milking the taxpayers? Am I missing something? Please.
They should expand the parking at Bay street and run express trains to Penn and Hoboken. Make it a real transit hub. Imagine what a positive impact a real 20 minute commute to the city would have. Yes, more congestion at Bay, but fewer polluting buses as ridership changes.
Thank you, cathar, for reminding us.
Mayor Fried may be learning the hard way why the most dangerous words in journalism are: This is the first in a series…
Mayor Bike Boy probably thinks we forgot all about Part III, in light of all the hoopla about the Russian spies.
Maybe next it can go for “Tidy Town” status like in Ireland.
Sounds like Tim Greeley of NJDOT and the reporter both somehow missed the fact that these things were already built there.
Here’s some major issues with NJT and all this stuff… yes, they built a parking deck at Bay Street, along with other decks around town. Now try and park in them if you don’t have a permit! Now it gets even better, most of the permit spaces are empty. So Montclair is more interested in your monthly money than letting you park for a day or a few hours. Then they change the parking on Cloverhill to prevent people from parking there… but where do you park? The deck’s daily spaces are full? Who’s the idiot who “planned” this stuff? Obviously they have never had to use one of these decks or had to ride the train to work.
Now here’s another kick-in-the-pants I haven’t seen mentioned. If you are a regular rider on NJT’s Midtown Direct to NYC, you will notice than the trains during rush hour to NYC are crowded, and often you can’t get a seat unless you squeeze between people on the three seater side. And of course those seats are filled with these people’s bags and other belongings that don’t belong on the seat.
However, we have all these new double decker trains… so where are they? In the morning, while you are standing with at least 30 other people at Bay Street waiting to go to NYC, the double decker trains are heading WEST! They are mostly empty and there is hardly anyone getting on or off.
Now wait until about 10AM and they will now be running these new and roomy trains East to NYC.. and now there are hardly anyone to ride on them because they had to cram on the old trains in the morning!
Who at NJT makes these stupid decisions? Clearly they don’t ride the trains that they schedule. Those should be the questions asked to NJT.