Highland Park 2020: A Sustainable Community
Borough Officials Outline Plans for the Future

Mayor Meryl Frank, together with the Borough Council unveiled a long-term vision for the Borough last month. The plan, Highland Park 2020: A Sustainable Community, focuses on the Borough's need to sustain the environment, local economy, and our diverse and changing population; a blueprint to ensure the economy and community will be surviving and thriving in the year 2020.

HP 2020 has been received with accolades statewide. The Home News Tribune editorial described the plan as:

High goals. The bottom line? "2020" is one of the most ambitious experiments in "smart growth" planning ever attempted in this part of New Jersey, if not anywhere in the state... if Frank's vision, perseverance and luck hold out, she will have authored a legacy for herself and an impressive future for her community. The opportunity is enormous (THNT 04/02/03)

Highland Park 2020 outlines a series of projects with an outlook toward the Borough's sustainable future: environmentally, economically, and socially.

Environmentally Sustainable- A Green Community

The environmental segment of Highland Park 2020 will be based upon green certification for buildings, but will extend to cover the entire community. Public buildings such as Borough Hall, the Senior/Recreation Center, Police and Fire Departments and Library will be converted for energy and water efficiency; schools and interested houses of worship will be converted in the secondary phase; new major construction projects will require green certification; streetscape projects and MainStreet Highland Park projects will make use of recyclable materials for benches, trash receptacles, LED traffic signals, and high efficiency lighting on street lamps; green plantings in downtown areas on Raritan Avenue will provide the conservation and health benefits of shade as well as aesthetic screening; a program entitled Taking Back Paradise: Taking Back a Parking lot will, in conjunction with the green plantings, showcase various tree and shrub plantings as an alternative to concrete in parking lots throughout the Borough; Walk Safe Highland Park, a program already underway in the Borough, will continue to promote bicycling and walking for conservation and to ease traffic congestion, and will explore the possible usage of an Alternate Energy Shuttle service to New Brunswick for commuters, Rutgers students, faculty, and staff, senior citizens, and youth to the Route 1 movie theater; a partnership with PSE&G and the BPU will be developed to expand utility incentive programs in the Borough; and open-spaces will be reclaimed for recreation or simple gatherings in urban areas.

In addition, the River Road Environmental Center will be completed with a solar powered building and cross signals. The Center will serve as the principal location for public education and the Green Community Initiative segment of Highland Park 2020.

Economically Sustainable - An Affordable Community

The economic component of Highland Park 2020 seeks to both overcome the property tax burden and assure that the Borough is able to endure and prosper in the future. The economic sustainability plan is based on the recommendations of the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on the Municipal Budget 2001. The major factors influencing the high tax rates include: the local property tax system and school finance formula; a large proportion of non-taxable property; and the ratio of commercial to residential ratable.

An aggressive revitalization campaign will seek to increase commercial ratable from 10% of the total to 20% after 5 years. Redevelopment of commercial and industrial sectors, employing all the principles of smart growth, will be pursued. This redevelopment will include MainStreet Highland Park redevelopment projects, the Woodbridge Avenue Business district, development of the YM-YWHA property and Cleveland Avenue. In addition, this portion of Highland Park 2020 will seek to establish a redevelopment agency to drive revitalization efforts. Rounding out the economic sustainability will be the continued re-evaluation of Borough programs and services to assess viability and effectiveness.

Socially Sustainable - A Livable Community

The final component of Highland Park 2020 will focus on the residents as the most valuable sustainable resource. Given the ethnic, racial, and economic diversity of the community, balancing the needs of the Borough's residents presents a notable challenge. The goals of social sustainability include creating a community which is welcoming, understanding, and accessible for everyone.

The development of a population which prides itself on social harmony will involve a number of components. Highland Park 2020 includes plans for: HP Community Study Circles which will bring together diverse members of the community to discuss issues of race and ethnicity; Back on Track, already underway in the Borough, will continue to keep at-risk youth out of the juvenile justice system through community service, counseling, and mentoring programs; improved recreational opportunities for youth, adults, and seniors of all backgrounds; promotion of the arts in the Borough including folk art from our diverse population, community murals, a new Highland Park Mexican American Dance Troup, and a new program which will provide arts programming for children with disabilities.

Developing an accessible community will involve: results from the Alliance for the Disabled Pilot Program, underway in the Borough, creating an inventory of areas in need of improved accessibility; a grant program encouraging businesses to create universally accessible business sites; a new accessible entrance to Borough Hall with a fully accessible Council Chamber; and installation of curb cuts and repaired sidewalks as part of the Walk Safe Highland Park program. In addition, the initiative contains plans intended for the safety of the Borough including emergency preparedness, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and improved police-community relations.

Rounding out the social sustainability portion of Highland Park 2020 are plans to create healthful living in the community through the following: Walk Safe Highland Park's initiatives to encourage residents of all ages to walk to work, school, shopping, and to improve their health; the recently launched Senior Center's breakfast program, assuring the communities seniors have access to a healthy meal and companionship; and Board of Health programs that promote a healthy lifestyle.

"HP 2020 is an ambitious plan," said Mayor Frank, "but we have an opportunity here to set an example of a community which is thoughtful about its future...its economic, its natural and its human resources now and for years to come."

Committees to assist in the implementation of the 2020 plan are now being formed. Anyone interested in offering expertise or serving as a resident, please call the Mayor's office at 732-777-6001.

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