| The Borough of Rocky Hill has been described by
the New Jersey State Planning Commission as a village. This State
definition distinguishes our municipality from hamlets, such as Griggstown,
Harlingen, and Blawenburg, towns, such as Manville, and regional centers,
such as Somerville Borough. A village has a land area of less than one
square mile and is primarily a mixed-residential community which may
include some commercial, office, and cultural properties which offer
employment. A village must be in reasonable proximity to an arterial
highway.
For over three years, the Planning Board and the Borough Council have
been carefully examining the pros and cons of petitioning the State for
this official designation. The State hopes to proactively involve
developers, landowners, and residents in their municipal planning for
growth management. The challenges of coping with changing consumer demand
for housing in an automobile-dependent environment in the nation's most
densely populated state requires serious regional planning and
cooperation.
Rocky Hill has a village center which has a distinct pedestrian scale.
There is little vacant land remaining for development. Maintaining as many
open space areas as possible and preserving the character of the Historic
District are key elements in Master Plan revisions. There are no plans at
present to promote development, but rather to continue traffic calming
initiatives and pedestrian improvements, such as sidewalks. Borough
officials implement these plans by: enforcing existing ordinances and
developing needed new ones, revisiting zoning and land use regulations,
working closely with Somerset County on implementing traffic calming
initiatives, public education of the historic significance of the Historic
District, and preservation of the architectural details, scale and themes
appropriate to the village.
Recently, the Borough secured a planning grant from Somerset County to
update the Master Plan, which was last reexamined in 1996. What needs to
be particularly looked at are future housing opportunities which would not
grossly impact on traffic in the village, the water and sewer systems,
open space and recreational provisions, and how best to work with
neighboring municipalities. It has been recommended by the State that a
"community workgroup" be established to work closely with the
Planning Board to complete the new Master Plan.
Mayor Nolan and the Planning Board Chairperson, Ms. Greiff will be
meeting on April 25th with a subcommittee at the State Planning Commission
called the Plan Implementation Committee (PIC) concerning the Borough's
petition which has been approved by the Planning Board and the Borough
Council. The PIC will then formalize their recommendation to the N.J.
State Planning Commission. |