WO will host public kickoff meeting for Master Plan reexamination

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Planning Board is undertaking a reexamination of the township’s 2010 Master Plan update. Residents and other interested members of the community are invited to attend a public meeting to discuss the Master Plan reexamination on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Liberty Middle School, 1 Kelly Drive in West Orange. The purposes of this meeting will be: to explain the purpose, scope and requirements of the Master Plan reexamination; to describe the overall project timeline and opportunities for public involvement; and to solicit initial input from the public.

The West Orange Planning Board has embarked on a process of updating and supplementing the West Orange Master Plan, which was last comprehensively revised in 2010. The Master Plan is a document that provides a policy framework for the township for issues such as land use and development, transportation, community facilities and preservation, among others. It also serves as the basis for the Zoning Ordinance, which formally regulates development. The results of this process will be a Master Plan reexamination report and updates to existing topical Master Plan elements. This document will be drafted through a process that involves extensive review of existing conditions and incorporates the community’s vision for West Orange. The reexamination will include broad goals and policy recommendations. It will include all of the required components of a master plan reexamination, as well as updates to existing plan elements for topics including land use, economic development, transportation, sustainability and community facilities.

The West Orange Planning Board is guiding the preparation of the Master Plan reexamination. The planning process will incorporate the input of the township’s residents and business community, through public meetings as well as other outreach efforts. The West Orange Planning Board has retained Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes LLC, planning and real estate consultants, to assist with the preparation of the reexamination.

For more information, visit www.westorange.org or contact the West Orange Planning Board office at 973-325-4111.