Community Corner

Open House Workshop Offers Springfielders Input On Redevelopment Plans

Residents had a chance to vote on photos that they felt best suited Springfield going forward.

Springfield residents had an opportunity to attend an open house workshop Tuesday evening at the Sarah Bailey Civic Center to offer their feedback on redevelopment plans for the Morris Avenue corridor.

Since August, Together North Jersey, the organization that provided the Township with a $90,000 grant to assist with redevelopment, has been conducting analysis to see how Springfield can improve the infrastructure of the Township, particularly Morris Avenue.

During the open house, representatives from Together North Jersey offered residents a chance to provide their opinions on what they'd most like to see a redeveloped Springfield look like. Using wireless remote controls, Springfielders could vote on photos of buildings, parks, bus stop shelters, and water features that are under consideration. They could also offer input on parking and the Park & Ride Jitney Service to the Short Hills train station.

During the voting, one resident expressed his concern that people were merely making selections based on aesthetics rather than functionality. The man pointed to a bus stop shelter that residents voted their top pick as an example. The structure offered no real "shelter," he said, as it was open on all sides and would not keep anyone waiting for a bus dry in a rainstorm. The resident said he'd prefer to see data rather than just photos to make a more informed decision.

Together North Jersey's representative said the photos help inform the organization about what residents would most like their downtown to look like. He said this phase was more about capturing the feeling of seeing a building and thinking, "That looks great, who do I thank?" versus, "I hate that, who do I complain to?" He also asked the resident to consider the kind of shelter an individual might prefer if he or she were waiting for a bus alone at 11 p.m. 

Residents also had an opportunity to write down which areas of the Township need improvement and post their ideas directly onto a map of the area.

Suggestions included: "Make the pool a destination the quality of other towns like Millburn or Summit,"; "Make it safe to cross Morris Avenue,"; "Water features, outdoor dining,"; "Have a facade ordinance for Morris Avenue,"; "Force shops to have attractive windows,"; "Tie library into town and move DPW elsewhere-maybe to Commerce or Baltusrol,"; "Movie theater,"; "Close street (Church Mall) make cobblestone street (with) restaurants."

As "Connecting People, Places and Potential" is Together North Jersey's motto, safety and walkability were identified as some of the issues that need to be addressed.

On a chart of Existing Conditions, "Pedestrians feel unsafe close to fast moving traffic," topped the list. "Public green spaces are disconnected from Morris Avenue," "Storefronts are narrow with minimum exposure,"; "Sidewalks are narrow and in various conditions throughout Morris Avenue,"; "Crosswalks are not raised or supported by bump-outs," and "Parking is inadequate and inconveniently located from retail shopping," were also recognized as areas that need attention. 
Mike Scalera, chairman of the Springfield Business Improvement District, said he was pleased with the turnout - approximately 70 residents attended - and added that the feedback provided was extremely helpful. The findings of Together North Jersey's analysis will be offered in a report that should be completed in January, Scalera said. 


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