"In Need" Study Sought for North Avenue Site

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With City Council approval Monday, a large swath of land north of the Raritan Valley Line and between Leland Avenue and Berckman Street will be investigated to see whether it is in need of redevelopment.

On the Google satellite image above, the Netherwood train station is marked in blue. The target blocks are rather shakily outlined in orange by me. The North Avenue side contains the blocks that will be examined for possible future commercial use. There is also a lot fronting on Johnston Avenue of North Avenue that will be investigated for possible residential use.

As readers are learning with all the new development, the governing body requests the investigation, which the Planning Board carries out and then conveys the results back to the council, which may then ask the Planning Board to make a redevelopment plan.

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 In this location, development guidelines fall under the TOD-N zoning ordinance. The turquoise area spanning both sides of the train tracks is the Trainside Commercial Zone. The block on Johnston Avenue is in green and is part of the Trainside Residential Zone. The entire TOD-N ordinance is on the city website (albeit sideways - you may have to use icons at the top to straighten it out.)

Anyone living in that area may want to become more familiar with the ordinance and map. It would be a good thing for neighborhood associations to discuss at one of their meetings.

After so many years of studies and plans that were filed for future reference, in this case the future is now, to use a phrase from Nam June Paik.

Monday's City Council meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.

--Bernice