Planner presents downtown Redevelopment Design Guide; council to consider adoption

Planner Kristen Russell of Colliers Engineering and Design presented a draft Downtown Redevelopment Design Guide Thursday to the Pompton Lakes Borough Council, saying the document is meant to clarify aesthetic expectations and help property owners and developers know what the borough prefers for facades, materials and storefront design.

"I am Kristen Russell with Colliers Engineering and Design. I am your borough planner, and the borough asked me to facilitate a process where a design guide would be written for the borough," Russell said, describing two pages of definitions, diagrams for non‑architects, and rules intended to work with — not replace — the existing zoning code.

Russell highlighted recommendations that façades facing public rights-of-way use masonry or other durable, natural materials and that long building faces be broken into vertical bays, and she described sign, awning and lighting guidance, including dark‑sky‑compliant fixtures. She said corner buildings should be treated as visual anchors with generous glazing and architectural articulation.

Mayor (speaker 1) and council members said the guide does not change bulk standards such as height, setback or density; Russell and the administration described three linked steps: the design guide itself, a renumbered standalone downtown redevelopment document extracted from the zoning code, and an updated zoning map. The council was told the design guide can advance independently while the other code amendments and map updates proceed through the planning board and normal ordinance readings.

The council indicated it expects the design guide and the related administrative renumbering and map changes to advance at the August meeting for introduction and subsequent planning-board comment and second reading. If adopted, Russell said the guide will be published online and paper copies will be available to property owners and developers.