Planning Board Moves Forward with Master Plan
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
By Anthony Wojtkowiak
Gloucester City News
The Master Plan and the potential light rail train in Gloucester City were addressed during the November 17 Planning/Zoning Board meeting.
Larry Waetzman of Waet-zman Planning Group, during the presentation of a Master Plan draft called the “Summary Overview,” said the Gloucester City Master Plan can move forward with or without the arrival of the light rail.
“[The Transit Oriented District] doesn’t have to have a train,” Waetzman said. “I think we’re getting hung up on whether the train arrives this year, next year, or in 10 years. The concepts are viable whether the train’s here or not.”
Due to the uncertainty of light rail coming to town, the name of the proposed district has been changed from Transit Oriented District to the Town Center, or TC, District.
During the October 27 Master Plan meeting, Waetzman had told the Gloucester City News that potential development due to the arrival of the train could help pay for future municipal improvements to Gloucester City.
According to the July 15, 2010 “Gloucester City Re-examination Report,” Governor Corzine had supported “a proposal from the Delaware River Port Authority to provide a new passenger light rail service that will include a stop in Gloucester City.”
Later, a draft called “Transit Oriented Development Zoning Amendments” was developed in which two Transit Oriented Development Zones were planned to take advantage of the proposed light rail.
One of the major goals of the Town Center District, according to the “Summary Overview,” is to “refine the boundaries of a core central business district, centered on Broadway, and within walking distance of the likely location of a passenger light rail station.”
Waetzman said the idea for the “Summary Overview” resulted from a meeting between himself and Chairman Frank Wunsch.
“Frankly, I had a luncheon meeting, I guess a month and a half, two months ago, with the chairman, to see how we could move this process forward. He felt that a quick outline would be more helpful,” Waetzman said, adding that the Overview” “was actually prepared before last month’s [October 27] meeting, but we never got to it.”
Board Engineer Norman Rodgers was excused from the meeting.