Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Village Tod topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planner highlights NJ Transit bus‑rapid plans and transit‑oriented redevelopment potential around Ernst and Road
Summary
SARA planner Veena briefed commissioners on an NJ Transit bus‑rapid transit (BRT) corridor study and its implications for the Ernst and Road/Route 9 area, noting transit‑village designation could unlock funding and that redevelopment within a half‑mile radius could benefit from planned infrastructure improvements.
SARA’s planner, Veena, told commissioners the NJ Transit bus‑rapid transit study and an associated Perkins and Eastman consultant report identify the Old Bridge/Route 9 corridor — including the Ernst and Road area — as a candidate for transit‑oriented development that could benefit from infrastructure funding if designated a transit village.
Veena said NJ Transit received a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant of $400,000 to study how bus rapid transit and transit‑village designations could improve the Route 9 corridor. She said Old Bridge is one of 17 stops evaluated and noted the study used quarter‑mile and half‑mile radii to assess walkable access to commuter parking.
Why it matters: transit‑village designation or nearby infrastructure investments could make redevelopment projects more competitive for grants and could increase pedestrian and transit access to new housing and commercial development.
What the planner said: Veena explained the Ernst and Road redevelopment area “touches the half mile radius” of the commuter parking lot, and she estimated redevelopment there would likely be about a 15‑minute walk to the parking lot. She said even if the Ernst and Road site does not receive an official transit‑village designation, it can still apply transit‑oriented design principles to new development.
On local services and micromobility: commissioners raised questions about shuttles and micro‑mobility. Veena said NJ Transit expects municipalities or developers to provide local shuttle service if needed, and that Middlesex County operates areawide transportation routes that could be used. A commissioner noted micromobility use (electric bicycles, etc.) raises building‑design and public‑safety questions — for example, fire department concerns about battery storage — that the agency will need to address in construction policy and redevelopment plans.
Background action: in the executive director’s report, staff said the planning board recommended the Ernst and Road mini‑mall area be designated “in need of redevelopment and rehabilitation,” and the borough council subsequently approved that designation. The council has authorized SARA to prepare a formal redevelopment plan for the area.
Discussion vs. decision: commissioners received the planner’s briefing and discussed possible next steps but did not adopt new policy at this meeting. Staff said authorization to prepare a formal redevelopment plan was already in place from the borough council.
Next steps: staff will continue discussions with NJ Transit and state agencies to pursue transit‑village designation or to apply transit‑oriented development principles; SARA was authorized by the borough to prepare a formal redevelopment plan for Ernst and Road.
