Planners Seek TODN Designation

The main topic at Thursday's Planning Board meeting was a discussion of new zoning for the Netherwood Train Station and surrounding blocks. Members are still refining certain standards, but hope to have the zoning changes before the City Council for approval soon.

The acronym at the top, TODN, stands for Transit Oriented Development-Netherwood.

In 2012, the Planning Board devised and the governing body approved new zoning designations for the main train station and environs, called Transit Oriented Development Downtown, or TODD. If you did not attend one of the public meetings where the TODD plan was discussed, maybe you picked up the tri-fold handout at the City Council's annual reorganization in January.

Inside, there is a map of the new zoning, which has designations including the Cleveland Avenue Arts District, a College District and a Parking District where a deck may eventually replace Municipal Lot 6. Click to enlarge.

Last year, I had thought this new zoning could be a good topic for the blog, but I was quite put off by this request and never wrote about it. I kind of felt the same way about trying to do a post on the TODN zoning.

Only a handful of people attended the Planning Board meeting Thursday to hear the discussion. The city has little or no PR capability, so residents seeking more information on transit-oriented development must either attend public meetings or go read the ordinances in City Hall.

The board will soon be making a similar zoning review for the area around the former Grant Avenue train station.

In 2007, city officials talked about four "transit villages" centered around the two existing train stations and the two that were demolished, on Grant and on Clinton Avenue. The transit village designation actually goes to the municipality and Plainfield is now seeking the designation. The term for planned growth around rail stations and other public transportation is transit-oriented development.

--Bernice