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Highlands highlights new floodplain design guidelines; mayor details grants and projects
Summary
Kathleen Shaw presented a new 40+ page floodplain design guideline to help visualize elevated mixed‑use buildings on Bay Avenue; the mayor reported nearly $2 million in grants, upcoming drainage and park projects, and scheduled a Dec. 11 special meeting on property assessments.
Kathleen Shaw, the borough’s Community Rating System coordinator, presented a newly published floodplain design guideline during the Dec. 4 council meeting, describing it as a visual, technical guide to align the central business district Redevelopment Plan with Chapter 21 floodplain rules.
"This design guideline shows the public what a new mixed use building with event space underneath with permeable surface where there could be farmers markets ..." Shaw said, outlining examples and technical resources tied to FEMA guidance and work the borough adapted from other coastal cities. She said the document (about 40 pages) includes diagrams for wet and dry flood‑proofing, elevator details, and example renderings using Highlands lots on Bay Avenue to illustrate elevated mixed‑use design options.
Shaw said the guideline was developed in collaboration with Stephen Winters (floodplain administrator) and reviewed by county planning; she encouraged developers and residents to consult the guideline on the borough website under Projects and Redevelopment.
In his report the mayor said the borough’s website address moved to HighlandsNJ.gov and provided November emergency services statistics. He reported the borough "netted out" $1,980,410 in grants this year to support infrastructure and parks. He summarized recent referendum outcomes reported in the meeting record: the flood wall question was defeated (579 yes; 1,959 no) and the regionalization question with Seabrite was approved (2,510 yes; 360 no).
The mayor described several project and grant developments: a Safe Roads for All planning award for a nearly $1.5 million project with $1.1 million in federal funding and $295,000 from the county; a FEMA BRIC (referred to as "brick" in the transcript) application for a large drainage study estimated at $16 million, with roughly $12 million coming from the FEMA grant; and a $217,000 grant for Grand Tour drainage improvements. He also noted a planned elevated‑walkway planning grant to connect Waterwitch to Kouan field and other local capital projects such as Overlook Park and Frank Hall Park design work.
The mayor announced a special meeting on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in which the tax assessor will present and take questions about the 2025 preliminary assessments. He also reminded residents of upcoming community events including the tree lighting and seasonal Toys for Tots collection locations.
The council received the presentation and the report; no substantive public comment was recorded during the public portion that followed.
The meeting proceeded to an executive session later in the evening for anticipated litigation under N.J.S.A. 10:4‑13, and the public meeting was adjourned.
