New Jersey Highlands Council

Municipal Partnership Pilot Projects (MP³ )

The purpose of the MP³ program is to work cooperatively with a small number of Highlands municipalities to conduct case studies that will provide experience and information useful to the Council in preparing the Regional Master Plan while also being of benefit to the specific towns where projects are conducted. The MP³ s will focus on key elements of the Master Plan such as GIS mapping, brownfield redevelopment, growth management in agricultural areas, town center/transit center development, eco-tourism, transfer of development rights (TDR), and septic management for lake communities.

Byram Township
Borough of Califon
Dover Town
Greenwich Township
Oxford Township
Prospect Park
Randolph Township
Ringwood Borough
Washington Borough
West Milford Township

Byram Township
The proposal for the Byram MP³ is to review and evaluate the Township’s lake management strategies and develop a vision and guidelines for implementing the new town center development. Byram is known as the Township of Lakes and is rich in both history and natural resources. The majority of Township residents live on one of the more than two dozen lakes and ponds. A Lakefront Development Study completed previously may provide information on how communities can manage the opportunities and constraints offered by a lakeside environment. Septic management, design guidelines, and lake maintenance are issues in Byram and many other Highlands towns. The Township would like to further evolve design of a compact, environmentally sensitive town center through development of design guidelines, water quality protection techniques and improvements to the local circulation system. Grant amount – not to exceed $50,000.
Borough of Califon
The proposal for the Califon MP³ project is to evaluate individual on-site alternative wastewater treatment technologies in relation to special conditions that are common within the Borough. The Borough of Califon is located entirely within the Highlands Preservation Area. The Borough has no public sanitary sewer facilities and relies entirely on individual on-site disposal systems. Existing structures suitable for affordable housing and redevelopment projects are severely limited due to poor soils and underlying carbonate rock formations. The evaluation will include identification of alternative systems, discussion of feasibility of implementing alternative systems, including research of case studies, establish contacts for an Innovative/Alternative Wastewater Technologies working group, and cost comparison of alternative systems versus a municipal-wide system. Grant amount – not to exceed $12,790.
Dover Town
The proposal for the Dover MP³ study is to look at how a transit village development can be accommodated in redeveloping a planning area town. Dover hosts both rail service and riverfront development opportunities. It will be an increasingly attractive location for new growth, revitalization, new investment and transit village development. Dover’s rich history, connection to the Rockaway River, and existing transit should provide the context and focus of new community growth. The MP³ objective is to provide assistance to Dover’s ongoing efforts toward river restoration, smart growth and revitalization and to develop strategies and approaches that will inform Highlands Regional Master Plan preparation. Grant amount – not to exceed $35,000.
Greenwich Township
The proposal for the Greenwich MP³ is to work with the community in crafting a balanced approach for growth management. Greenwich Township was one of the fastest growing towns in the State during 1990 – 2000. As a result of a COAH settlement and wastewater capacity extensions, the Township grew rapidly during a concentrated period. The Township is aggressively evaluating new measures for finding a balance between preserving its farm land and rural character while managing growth. The grant will also establish an agricultural sustainable work group for the first time in the community and evaluate innovative approaches for addressing affordable housing needs within the community. Grant amount – not to exceed $38,000.
Oxford Township
The proposal for the Oxford MP³ is to analyze the potential for a TDR receiving area and help determine the feasibility of brownfield site remediation within the Highlands Region. Oxford Township was one of three TDR pilot projects, selected by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) that was announced at the February 17, 2005 Highlands Council meeting. The Council staff has worked with the Township and the Office of Smart Growth to develop the TDR pilot project scope of work to be performed in concert with the development of the Regional Master Plan. The Township owns the large Preservation Area Oxford Furnace property, which is a brownfield site that once produced cannonballs for military operations and continues to be contaminated by large amounts of slag deposits. This MP³ project will allow for the municipal owned brownfield site to move into the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) grant program for remedial funding evaluation, and allow for the development of a Highlands Resource Area Determination (HRAD) application to be completed and submitted to DEP in support of brownfields redevelopment. Grant amount – not to exceed $65,000.
Prospect Park
The proposal for the Prospect Park MP³ is to investigate the process of transferring development rights to a town outside the Highlands Region. The Highlands Act allows for the transfer of development potential from within the Highlands Region to towns outside of the Region, but still within the seven counties that host the Highlands Region. Prospect Park in Passaic County is an older suburban community and is home to an existing quarry operation. The future planned closing of the Braen Stone Quarry offers a potential redevelopment area which could utilize TDR. Grant amount – not to exceed $42,500.
Randolph Township
The proposal for the Randolph MP³ is to investigate land management strategies for open space and establish the means to protect and manage environmentally-sensitive land. Extensive woodlands, ridgelines and steep slopes intersected by stream valleys containing trout production waters characterize much of Randolph Township. Recognition of these critical environmental resources is reflected in the Master Plan’s goal to preserve the Township’s rural character and open space. The study would serve to illustrate how the Highlands Council and a Planning Area municipality can work cooperatively to protect critical environmental resources and maintain biodiversity through regulatory and management/stewardship mechanisms. Grant amount – not to exceed $50,000.
Ringwood Borough
The proposal for the Ringwood MP³ is to develop a procedure for identifying and evaluating redevelopment opportunities in the Preservation Area and to generate a comprehensive, regional eco-tourism program in coordination with the neighboring Township of West Milford. Ringwood is one of only five Highland Region communities situated entirely within the Preservation Area. At the center of the Ramapo and Wyanokie Mountains in the northwest corner of Passaic, Ringwood is an aesthetic, cultural and recreational jewel that has potential as a center for a Highlands eco-tourism industry. The Highlands Act encourages development of a climate supportive of innovative economic development enterprise that takes advantage of the unique beauty and resources of the Region. The Township’s location and natural resources make it an attractive destination for both New Jersey and New York travelers. Ringwood and West Milford share a common interest in this project and they have agreed to work together with the Council on development on this MP³ grant program. Grant amount – not to exceed $30,000.
Washington Borough
The proposal for the Washington Borough MP³ is to develop a vision and strategies for implementing town center redevelopment initiatives, including historic preservation guidelines, along with protection of a C-1 stream. Washington Borough serves as the downtown commercial hub for surrounding communities and is in the process of developing a formal redevelopment plan that incorporates design guidelines for historic structures, protects the C-1 stream that transverses its downtown, deals with brownfield sites as redevelopment opportunities, and addresses Route 57 corridor improvements. It is the Borough’s vision to serve as a gateway community that represents smart growth within the Highlands Region while balancing its small town character and quality of life. Grant amount – not to exceed $52,000.
West Milford Township
The proposal for the West Milford MP³, like that of the Ringwood project, is to develop a procedure for identifying and evaluating redevelopment opportunities in the Preservation Area and generate a comprehensive, regional eco-tourism program. West Milford is one of the five (5) municipalities in the Highlands Region which are entirely within the Preservation Area. The Township covers approximately 81 square miles at the extreme northern part of New Jersey and is home to extensive State Forest and Parks, County Parkland, and watershed lands and reservoirs, comprising more than 65 square miles. The Township’s natural resources make it an attractive destination, while it’s existing “downtown” offers opportunities for commercial redevelopment. Working with Ringwood, the Township can share their mapping and planning capabilities toward the common goal of investigating how a Preservation Area town can maintain economic vitality through redevelopment opportunities and generation of a cooperative eco-tourism program. Grant amount – not to exceed $30,000.