New Jersey Future Blog
The Public Wins a Strengthened Role in Rebuild By Design Projects
May 13th, 2015 by Megan Callus
Photo: Rebuild By Design
Thanks to a major new provision, the planning process for the Rebuild By Design (RBD) projects in the Meadowlands and along the Hudson River now allows for greater community participation. The provisions are spelled out in a document known as Action Plan Amendment 12, which was prepared by the state, and approved by HUD, in order to make HUD Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds available for the RBD initiative. The funds will be used for the Resist Delay Store and Discharge proposal for Hoboken, Weehawken and Jersey City and the New Meadowlands pilot proposal in Moonachie, Little Ferry, Teterboro, Carlstadt and South Hackensack. (See original story.) Read the rest of this entry »
Incorporating Green Infrastructure: The Time Is Now
May 13th, 2015 by New Jersey Future staff
Green infrastructure is a major part of New Jersey Future’s Urban Water Infrastructure initiative. Since we couldn’t attend the session at the American Planning Association’s 2015 conference on Green Infrastructure Zoning, and since AJ Fawver AICP, the planning and development administrator for the city of San Angelo, Texas, was doing such an excellent job livetweeting it, we asked her to expand her tweets into an article.
A rain garden in Jersey City.
The idea of green infrastructure as a tool for stormwater management is catching on around the country. The 2015 American Planning Association conference featured a session on Green Infrastructure Zoning, focused on raising awareness of the impact local regulations have on the facilitation of green infrastructure. The presentations — by Juli Beth Hinds AICP, principal at Birchline Planning in San Diego, and Tracy Tackett PE, the green stormwater infrastructure program manager for Seattle Public Utilities — included innovative strategies for promoting this sustainable approach and overcoming barriers to its implementation. Read the rest of this entry »
New Jersey Future Welcomes New Trustees
May 5th, 2015 by Elaine Clisham
New Jersey Future is pleased to welcome three new faces to its Board of Trustees. They join a team of 30 individuals committed to advancing smart growth in the Garden State. Click here to learn more about all of our esteemed board members.
Robert Iacullo, executive vice president of United Water, has overall responsibility for supporting the regulated and environmental services business lines for the firm’s water and wastewater businesses across the nation. He previously served as chief operating officer of United Water, chief operating officer of the regulated segment, president of the New York/New Jersey Metro Region, vice president of United Waterworks and vice president of regulatory business. Before joining United Water, Iacullo was a rate analyst with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Iacullo is a commissioner of the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Water Alliance, the New Jersey Utilities Association and the National Association of Water Companies, of which he was also previously president. He serves on the boards of the Bergen County United Way, the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and Choose New Jersey. He is a trustee of Montclair State University and a member of the university’s School of Business Advisory Board.
Lopa Kolluri, vice president for operations at Pennrose, provides strategic direction and day-to day administration of the development company. Prior to joining Pennrose, Lopa served as deputy chief of staff to then-Secretary Donovan at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where she was responsible for managing and coordinating HUD’s programs and policies in conjunction with the agency’s budgeting, legislative and external affairs divisions. She worked closely with the White House and executives of other agencies and private organizations to advance HUD’s mission and the Obama administration’s policy goals. Also while at HUD, Lopa was active in the federal taskforce for Hurricane Sandy and led efforts to establish its operation in New Jersey. Prior to her tenure at HUD, Lopa served as the assistant state treasurer for economic development for the State of New Jersey. Lopa also served as director of housing and community resources for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Prior to working at the DCA, Lopa was policy director at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. Lopa began her career in the affordable housing industry as a program officer at the Fannie Mae Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Vince Myers, principal of DIGroup Architecture, is responsible for ensuring that the firm has the expertise and resources to serve its senior-living clients in multiple states. A significant part of that effort entails research and keeping abreast of new ideas in order to be a knowledgeable advisor on behalf of clients and an advocate for person-centered care and culture change. Vince is a featured speaker on all aspects of elder care. He also mentors high school students through the ACE, a national program focusing on architecture, construction and engineering. Additionally, he serves on the boards of the Mary Owen Borden Foundation, NJ PERC and NJ ACE and is an active member of Leading Age NJ; NYAHSA, and the Springpoint Foundation.
College Papers on Key New Jersey Policy Issues Win Statewide Academic Award
May 4th, 2015 by Elaine Clisham
Affordable housing, communicating natural-disaster risk both central to New Jersey Future’s work
An undergraduate term paper examining Trenton’s approach to affordable housing in the 1960s and 1970s, and a senior thesis examining how ignoring risks after the 1962 nor’easter that struck New Jersey led to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, have been honored with the 2014 Stellhorn Award. The award, named after a New Jersey historian, is presented annually to an undergraduate paper and thesis on any topic of New Jersey history.
Both papers address topics that are central to New Jersey Future’s current work. Most recently, the organization was part of an amici curiae brief in the successful lawsuit to resolve the impasse over the state’s affordable-housing regulations; and a key issue in the organization’s post-Sandy recovery planning work has been how to communicate future risk in such a way that communities agree to take appropriate mitigation or adaptation actions. Read the rest of this entry »
Planning Our Coastal Future: Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton
April 28th, 2015 by David Kutner
Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton: Projected inundation from sea-level rise and a Sandy-intensity storm in 2050. (Click on image for larger view)
At the first of a series of three public meetings, residents of Little Egg Harbor Township and Tuckerton Borough got an initial look at the results of an assessment of each community’s vulnerability to future flooding due to sea-level rise and potential storms. New Jersey Future prepared the assessments for the two communities.
New Jersey Future has been working with Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton since Hurricane Sandy on storm and flood resiliency initiatives, helping community leaders understand future flooding risks they are likely to face. The detailed risk analysis evaluated where the towns are most vulnerable to flooding, and explored strategies to help them respond more effectively to future storms and rising sea levels. Read the rest of this entry »
League of Municipalities Executive Director To Retire
April 28th, 2015 by Peter Kasabach
Bill Dressel
While we can all debate the proper balance between “home rule” and regional land-use decision-making, one thing is clear – Bill Dressel has been a strong advocate on behalf of his 565 home-rule member municipalities. After 41 years at the helm of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, Executive Director Bill Dressel has announced he will retire on June 30, 2015.
When Dressel arrived in New Jersey in 1974, the state Legislature was beginning to open the committee hearing process to public comment. Dressel seized that opportunity and established the league as a constant presence in the statehouse, ensuring that the local impacts of proposed state policies were clearly communicated and understood. Local elected officials came to rely on him as their eyes, ears and voice in Trenton, where he has been a consistent and respected advocate for their interests. (Read the League’s full profile of him.) Read the rest of this entry »
Raising Awareness of our Urban Water Infrastructure on #UndertheEarthDay
April 22nd, 2015 by Jane Rosenblatt
The first Earth Day in 1970 led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. Forty-five years later, the Clean Water Act is finally being enforced in New Jersey.
On March 12, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued final permits to the 25 cities and utilities that operate combined-sewer systems (CSSs), a first step to updating decrepit infrastructure, minimizing flooding and keeping raw sewage from reaching public waterways. The new permits require affected towns and sewer treatment authorities to create and adopt plans to address the problems triggered by what are known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs). These overflows occur when a system that handles both stormwater and sewage is overwhelmed by rain or snowmelt, causing untreated sewage to be discharged into local waterways, and sometimes into streets and basements.
Through the Urban Water Solutions Initiative, a number of thought leaders and decision makers throughout the state are working to facilitate best-practice solutions for New Jersey’s aging water infrastructure and combined sewer overflows that spur city revitalization. The group’s programmatic objectives and recommendations for state and federal action and are outlined in its 2015 Objectives.
This year, on Earth Day – a day usually dedicated to concern for the natural environment – the Urban Water Solutions Initiative took to social media to raise awareness of the impact our antiquated infrastructure has on our cities as well as our waterways. Using the hashtags #UnderTheEarthDay and #NJWater, people and organizations shared photos and tidbits about New Jersey’s urban water infrastructure issues, as well as solutions such as green infrastructure, green roofs and more!
Continue the conversation with us by posting to Twitter or Instagram using #NJwater!
New Jersey Future Joins National Infrastructure Week With Free Webinar May 14
April 21st, 2015 by Elaine Clisham
Webinar will highlight effective communications tools to build support for water infrastructure upgrades
New Jersey Future has signed on as an affiliate of the Brookings Institution‘s third annual Infrastructure Week, May 11-15. Infrastructure Week is dedicated to bringing together stakeholders in Washington, D.C., and around the country to highlight the critical importance of investing in and modernizing America’s infrastructure systems, and the essential role infrastructure plays in our economy. Read the rest of this entry »
New Meadowlands Project Under Way
April 13th, 2015 by Megan Callus
Almost two years ago, the Presidential Hurricane Sandy Task Force formed within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, launched the Rebuild By Design competition to advance resilience of communities affected by Hurricane Sandy. Interdisciplinary teams of engineers, designers and architects studied the region and developed long-term strategies for improving flood resilience. Two projects in New Jersey, Hudson River’s Resist Delay, Store, Discharge, and the New Meadowlands, were awarded $380 million of the $930 million in total funding. The $150-million New Meadowlands project, based on the original design of creating a system of natural reserves and berms to reduce flooding risks, will be used for a pilot project in Little Ferry, Teterboro, Moonachie, Carlstadt, and South Hackensack. Read the rest of this entry »
Community Meetings To Focus on Flood Vulnerability, Potential Solutions
April 10th, 2015 by David Kutner
Residents and interested parties from Little Egg Harbor Township and Tuckerton Borough are invited to a series of meetings to review the findings of an analysis that evaluated where the towns are most vulnerable to future flooding and storm events. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. The follow-up meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, at the same time, and Saturday, June 20, from 11:00am to 1:00pm. All three meetings will be conducted at the Little Egg Harbor Community Center, located at 319 West Cala Breeze Way.
Hurricane Sandy highlighted vulnerabilities faced by New Jersey’s coastal and bayfront communities. Residents have a new opportunity to understand these vulnerabilities and to explore how they might be addressed, via this series of public meetings, entitled Planning for Little Egg’s and Tuckerton’s Coastal Future.
Participants in the meeting series will learn not only about vulnerabilities, but also about options for responding to future risk. The three sessions will address different topics and residents are encouraged to attend all three.
Rising sea levels have already increased the frequency and magnitude of regular, “nuisance” flooding that occurs today. It is likely that these conditions will contribute further to and increase the severity of flood risk into the future, particularly during storm events that frequently threaten of New Jersey’s coastline. These factors make thoughtful planning and preparation essential if coastal areas are to minimize or avoid the type of devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.
New Jersey Future has worked with Little Egg Harbor Township and Tuckerton Borough for the last 18 months to help community leaders understand the future flooding risks they are likely to face. A detailed risk analysis has been prepared for both communities, evaluating where the towns are most vulnerable, and exploring strategies to help the towns and their residents better respond to future storms and rising sea levels.
One example of the type of strategies currently under consideration involves the vibrant marshlands that presently protect Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton by absorbing wave action and reducing water velocity. Developing strategies to protect the marshes, expand them, and assist them in the battle to keep pace with rising sea levels is a critical component of a resiliency program. To that end, New Jersey Future successfully obtained a $2.13 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to dredge the lagoons and apply excavated materials to elevate the marsh to ensure its long-term vitality.
The upcoming meetings, which will be led by New Jersey Future Local Recovery Planning Manager Leah Yasenchak, will highlight other strategies also being considered.