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Fanwood, Hackensack selected for Transit Hub Planning Program

A NJ TRANSIT train stops outside the Fanwood Train Station. A team of planners from the NJTPA and American Planning Association’s New Jersey Chapter (APA-NJ) are working with the Borough of Fanwood and City of Hackensack to develop transit hub plans.
 
The municipalities were selected to participate in APA-NJ’s Community Planning Assistance Program, which provides volunteers to work on the projects. This is the second time the NJTPA is partnering with APA-NJ on this program to develop transit hub plans. The program was first piloted in 2017 and is an outgrowth of Together North Jersey, a consortium of public and private partners led by the NJTPA and Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University that developed a comprehensive plan for sustainable development for North Jersey.
 
The Borough of Fanwood is developing a plan for the area around the rail station. The goal is to create a community-oriented, pedestrian-friendly town center that is connected to key community assets, like the Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center and the Fanwood Library. Fanwood launched a community survey in March to gather public input for the plan.
 
Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr said the planning assistance comes at a great time.
 
“We have experienced a great transformation of our downtown and can now further improve the area, the train station itself and better link it all to the adjoining neighborhoods and facilities,” she said.
 
The City of Hackensack is developing plans for a transit gateway with new public spaces, better bicycle and pedestrian access and vibrant land uses around the Essex Street train station.
 
The station is located near Hackensack University Medical Center, dense residential areas, the Bergen County Courthouse and government buildings, and the Main Street redevelopment district. Volunteer planners are reaching out to residents, businesses, community leaders and government officials to develop a vision for the train station and surrounding area.
 
“Transit hub planning is about re-thinking how to better use our streets, sidewalks, plazas and open spaces to connect important destinations with residential and business areas and make transit stations a center of the surrounding community,” Hackensack Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr. said.
 
To learn about NJTPA’s previous transit hub planning work through the Community Planning Assistance Program visit APA-NJ’s website.
 
Posted: 4/7/2021 9:05:28 AM by Melissa Hayes | with 0 comments