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Politics & Government

Planning Board Discusses Potential Downtown Newcomers

With a lack of building guidelines in place, Construction Official Keith Lynch urges board members to choose between commercial applicants carefully.

Members of the Planning Board discussed new businesses that may move into town in the near future at last night's meeting, especially along South Street, the jewel of New Providence.

Officials said South Street will continue to flourish thanks to outside investment and the town’s lesser known areas will benefit from South Street’s prosperity and increase in infrastructure as they enjoy a trickle-down effect.

But it takes more than a mental map to move bulldozers and cranes, and the Board has accomplished little in terms of actual development or guidelines.

“We haven’t fully developed guidelines for downtown development in New Providence,” stated Construction Official Keith Lynch. “All we can do right now is suggest things to applicants. If someone comes into town and wants to put up a purple awning, we can ask them to make it black, but do little in the way of enforcing change.” 

Lynch said New Providence needs to attract businesses to the town that conform to the wishes of the Board. “That process starts with making a list of building guidelines.”         

In the wake of a damaged economy, the borough continues to do its best to maintain a healthy and progressive living space for its residents, Lynch explained.

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"We’re doing things with fewer people and trying to make things work the same," he said.

As a result, Lynch said he is taking on an increased level of responsibility. He acts as liaison between prospective investors, builders, and the Board, and decides which building applications are seen by the Planning Board, which deals typically with permitted applications, and the Board of Adjustment, which deals with applications that are not permitted.    

Lynch urged the Board to not merely accept the first applications that arrive in town looking to build, but to instead look over each application with the best interest of the community in mind.

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“Every application will lead to change, but not necessarily to improvement,” he said.

The majority of the meeting was composed of Lynch’s address to the Board. The remainder was utilized to inform the Board of the new proposals that are presently being introduced to council.

These proposals included the replacement and addition of certain street signs, the adoption of solar and wind energy, the renaming of RL and L1 zones to “Business and Technology Zones 1 and 2,” and the consideration of introducing Charter Schools into the downtown area. Three Charter Schools had recently applied for building permits in the area, Lynch said.

After the half hour public session, the Board then entered into closed session to discuss pending litigation.

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