Mr. Joseph E. Doyle, the director of New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO), recently presented the 2010 Achievement in Planning Award to the Lakewood Township Committee for Lakewood Township’s Smart Growth Plan. Doyle said, “It’s a vision plan for Lakewood…over the course of 20 years. The township has valuable natural resources, with two-thirds of the Township located in the CAFRA coastal region. Lakewood has reached a defining moment in planning for its future growth, while preserving important open space and environmentally sensitive lands.
“Lakewood’s Smart Growth Plan addresses these critical planning issues by proposing a comprehensive center-based land use Plan that promotes smart growth and sustainability. The Plan balances development with an environmental preservation strategy that protects and preserves valuable open space and natural resources. This is part of a comprehensive strategy… that will allow the clustering of development in designated centers, cores and nodes, while preserving open space in key areas of the Township.”
Lakewood’s Smart Growth Plan was developed through the efforts of Lakewood—its residents, the planning board, the township committee, and Stan Slachetka of T & M Associates who is the planning consultant for Lakewood Township.
Prior to its adoption the Township Committee held four major community visioning workshops as well as public hearings with the Planning Board, and a community forum with the Township Committee. In addition to the broad-based community outreach effort by the Township, town officials worked closely with the staff of the DEP and Office of Smart Growth.
In its Smart Growth Plan, Lakewood proposes that the entire Township can be located in a sewer service area with the exception of environmentally sensitive areas, the freshwater wetlands area, and open space tracts. In the Plan, Lakewood also identifies recommended improvements on a Township-wide basis for roadway connections, the minimization of congestion and delays, and the enhancement of public transit.
In accepting the award, Mayor Langert said, “I want to thank the Committee for its hard work for the past five years, and particularly Committeeman Lichtenstein. Having Lakewood’s Plan recognized by the NJ Planning Officials as a good Plan and a smart one certainly validates it. This award is a vote of confidence that this is the best Plan for Lakewood. This Plan will benefit all the residents of Lakewood as Lakewood moves forward, meeting the demands of housing, jobs and infrastructure.”
What a joke if Lakewood can get a “planning” award. Lakewood is doing a great “planning” job allowing developers to chop down every last tree and replace them with the same beige vinyl siding attached duplex townhouse. Its seems the density ratio is one tree down, two houses up
maybe they ment Lakewood Ohio
AE, the township recieved the award for the smart growth plan. You should read it. It provides direction for providing housing in the undeveloped areas of town. It also provides for open space and conservation of almost a third of Lakewood. That is not allowing developers to chop down every last tree. The joke is that most of the people against the smart growth plan just moved into Lakewood in a development where the trees were chopped down.
the apartments in the duplex basements. And little off street parking. Look at Ponderosa, Chateau, Forest Park, Westgate, parking clogging up both side of the street so garbage and fire trucks can’t go down. Look at all the other congestion, Rt. 9, Rt. 88, Pine St, MLK, James St, Central Av, Hope Rd, I’m glad they planned for all the traffic. But it is a 20 year plan, so maybe in 20 years you will be able to get from one side of Lakewood to the other is less then 35 minutes. I hope they plan to put in more power lines and its infrastructure so we don’t have more power outages like yesterday, the first day of summer. Are there going to be parking garages for these big buildings going up? Or are people just going to drive around to look for a spot or double park. Good planning!
To Brian: Please provide a link to the growth plan and I would love to read it. You mention that it preserves open space for almost one third of Lakewood, would you happen to know what percentage of Lakewood was open space 5 years ago, and/or what the percentage is today?
Is no growth
I think they should have waited 20 years to see if they actually institute the ‘smart growth’ plan before getting the award. So far Lakewoos has a terribly unsmart growth plan!
It’s one thing to have something in writing but to actually be able to execute it is an entirely different matter.