Planner says amended downtown redevelopment plan keeps original boundaries but refines Track A

Borough planner Chris, the author of the downtown redevelopment plan, told the Highland Park Planning Board on Feb. 12 that proposed amendments to Ordinance 26-2124 preserve the same Track A–D boundaries while refining regulations for Track A and making minor housekeeping changes to Tracks B–D.

Chris said the 2026 amendments update land-use regulations, tweak setbacks and design standards, clarify the definition of building height and allow limited ground-floor residential while capping ground-floor residential frontage at a modest percentage. "We're not changing the boundaries," Chris said. "All we're really doing is updating its regulations and conditions." He described the intent as encouraging mixed-use infill, activating ground-floor uses and improving streetscape elements such as tree pits, permeable surfaces and green infrastructure.

Board members pressed several specifics. One member asked how the Track B recognition affects the Sunoco and nearby parcels; Chris said designation allows the borough to pursue combination or pursue a separate standalone plan. Another board member asked that an incorrect engineering credit on the acknowledgments page (listed as Bruce Koch) be corrected; Chris said he would replace it with the correct name, Eric Robinson. Members also discussed concentrating retail in a node rather than scattering ground-floor retail across Track A; Chris said the redeveloper’s concept materials had proposed retail clustered along one frontage to create a retail node.

The board discussed parking and the bike-and-pedestrian circulation plan; Chris said improvements are likely to be limited to streetscape features, bike racks and corrals, and that removal of parking lanes in favor of bike lanes would be a borough-level engineering decision and subject to further study and capital delivery processes.

Chair opened public comment; none were present or remote. Subject to a ministerial correction to the acknowledgments page, a board member moved that the amended redevelopment plan and ordinance 26-2124 were substantially consistent with the borough master plan and the motion passed by roll call.

The planner said the amendment retains policy alignment with Middlesex County and the New Jersey State Plan and continues the borough’s objective of increasing downtown housing, density and consolidated parking options. The board approved the consistency finding and closed the item.