South Orange seeks volunteers to contribute to Master Plan process

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange has officially launched its Master Plan process, which is expected to be completed and adopted in 18 months. Although there have been periodic revisions and new elements introduced, a comprehensive Master Plan for the community has not been undertaken since the late 1970s.

A Master Plan is a broad level policy document that serves as a blueprint for achieving the community’s desired future. While the content and plan are traditionally led by the Planning Board, village officials made the decision early on that community participation and the involvement of hundreds of volunteers currently serving on dozens of stakeholder groups would be a critical component in ensuring a successful outcome. To that end, South Orange’s Management Committee has developed an organization and outreach chart and enthusiastically welcomes resident participation in two key areas: Steering Committee and Neighborhood Ambassadors.

For the Steering Committee, 10 members will be selected and will directly report to the Management Committee. These individuals are responsible for gathering feedback from their assigned stakeholder groups, both technical and/or neighborhood based.

As for Neighborhood Ambassadors, three ambassadors will be selected from each of South Orange’s nine neighborhood associations. These individuals are responsible for leading visioning sessions and aggressively pursuing robust input from all members of the neighborhood.

The initial outreach process will take approximately six months and will require a significant time contribution on behalf of those selected. Volunteers will receive comprehensive training through Topology, the village’s planning firm.

You can apply for either of these volunteer positions online at https://bit.ly/2Jmo3Vv. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, June 27. For more information, visit http://www.southorange.org/DocumentCenter/View/1414/VP-Master-Plan-Letter and http://www.southorange.org/DocumentCenter/View/1413/SOMP-Organization-and-Outreach-Final.

  South Orange Planning Board