City and County Discovery Phase Results Summary

Connecting People, Places, and Potential.1

Discovery Phase Workshop Results

Table of Contents

• RPSD Planning Process

• Standing Committee S.W.O.T. Exercise

• Discovery Workshop Overview

• Discovery Workshop Results– Polling: Shared Values

– Listen and Learn: Like and Change Results

– Polling: Planning Goals and Objectives

– Polling: Demographics

2

RPSD Planning Process

3

Discovery

Where are we now and where are we heading?

Existing Conditions & Current Trends

Issues and Challenges

Opportunities & Strengths

Shared Values & Common Interests

Visioning

Where do we want to go?

Priority Goals & Objectives

Preferred Future

Growth Scenario

Action Planning

How do we get there?

Strategies & Actions

Priority Projects & Initiatives

Resources & Responsibilities

Implementation Timeline

STANDING COMMITTEE S.W.O.T. EXERCISE

Planning Together for our Future

4

Standing Committee S.W.O.T. Exercise

On September 25, 2012, TNJ held a Standing Committee meeting to kick-off the Discovery Phase of the RPSD planning process.

A portion of that meeting was devoted to putting together a S.W.O.T. analysis. The findings from that session are presented on the following slides.

5

Challenges & Threats• Economic Competitiveness

– Stagnant/uneven job growth and worker/jobs skills gap

– Aging infrastructure

– Home rule & conflicting government priorities

• Livability & Environment– Chase for “ratables” leads to poor land use decisions

– Housing costs are high

– Lack of sustainable funding for public infrastructure (transportation, power, water, sewer, parks) maintenance and upgrades and open space/farmland preservation

• Society & Community– Disparities in school performance

– Public health disparities by race and place

– High cost structure is “pricing out” arts & culture6

Strengths & Opportunities• Economic Competitiveness

– Location and infrastructure networks

– Institutions of higher education

– High quality of life

– Changing market preferences

• Livability & Environment– Market demand for amenity-rich, transit-oriented, walkable places

– Land and buildings available for redevelopment

– Existing public transit network and services

• Society & Community– Many high performing school districts

– Growing understanding of the built environment’s impact on health

– Arts & culture increasingly used as an economic development strategy7

Desired Long-term Outcomes• Economic Competitiveness

– Sustained job growth & economic investment

– Continued high quality of life

– Increased economic resilience

• Livability & Environment– Greater share of new development in walkable, transit-served locations

– Improved transportation connections (roads, sidewalks and transit)

– A network of high-quality natural, agricultural and recreational lands is protected

– Communities are more resilient to extreme weather events

• Society & Community– Reduced disparity in school performance

– Reduced health disparities

– Growing/thriving arts community region-wide8

DISCOVERY WORKSHOP OVERVIEW


9

Public Outreach Workshops: Overview

• 14 workshops

• 550 +/- participants– Residents

– Business Owners

– Local officials

– Other stakeholders

• Three activities:– Like & Change

– Priority Goals & Objectives

– Shared values polling

10

DISCOVERY WORKSHOP RESULTS


11

Discovery Workshop Polling Results

This section combines the results from the Discovery Phase Workshops held between March and May 2013.

Audiences were asked to provide their input for questions using an electronic clicker.

The first two slides present a summary of shared values, followed by detailed findings.

12

Shared values…

• Personal Growth and Well-being

– Being healthy and taking care of yourself (45%)

– Volunteering and giving back to community (25%)

• Family

– Having time to spend together (55%)

– Making time for recreational and cultural activities together (22%)

• Community

– Having good neighbors and being a good neighbor (37%)

– Feeling a sense of community (28%)

13

Shared values…

• Education

– Having opportunities to keep learning all through life (46%)

– Having quality neighborhood schools (36%)

• Nature

– Taking good care of our air, water and natural lands (57%)

– Having green space nearby (22%)

• Safety & Security

– Having safe neighborhoods (33%)

– Peace of mind about the future (32%)

– Having a well-paying job (20%)

14

What aspect of Personal Growth and Well-Being is most important to you?

45%

9%

26%

14%

5%1%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Being healthy and taking care of

yourself

Being close to nature

Volunteering and giving back to your

community

Spirituality and religion

None of the above Prefer not to answer

What aspect of Family is most important to you?

55%

14%

23%

6%2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Having time to spend together

Having extended family nearby

Making time for recreational and cultural

activities together


What aspect of Community is most important to you?

28%

9% 11%

38%

11%

3%0%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

What aspect of Education is most important to you?

37%

9%

47%

6%

1%0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Having quality neighborhood schools

Being able to go to college or a trade school

Having opportunities to keep learning all

through life


What aspect of Nature is most important to you?

23%

60%

8% 8%

1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Having green space nearby

Taking good care of our air

Protecting wildlife habitat


What aspect of Safety and Security is most important to you?

21%

34%

4%

33%

7%

1%0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Having a good paying job

Having Safe neighborhoods

Fewer traffic-related accidents

Peace of mind about the future


How should the region spend transportation dollars?

13%

2%

15%

19%

12%

5%

9%

4%

8%

15%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

Fixing unsafe bridges

Building more highways

Making existing highways work

better

Expanding transit service

Making existing transit work

better

Making it easier to transport goods and materials

around the region

Using technology to

improve transportation

Supporting more

carpooling and shuttles

Making our roads safer

Making it easier to walk

and bike where we need to go

What sources of funds should be used to support transportation?

10%

29%

5%2%

12%9%

24%

9%

1%0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Transit fares and tolls

Gas taxes General taxes like income tax

or sales tax

Borrowing more money and

paying it off over time

Selling "naming"• rights

to bridges

Working with banks and

businesses to share costs and revenue from tolls and fares

All of the above None of the above

Prefer not to answer

LISTEN & LEARN


23

Listen and Learn ResultsAudiences were asked to have small-group conversations about their communities and submit written responses to six questions:

• What do you like about where you live?

• What do you want to change about where you live?

• What do you like about where you work?

• What do you want to change about where you work?

• What do you like about how you get around?

• What do you want to change about how you get around?

Participants were invited to submit open-ended responses. Those results were then simplified into themed categories.

The following slides contain a summary of findings by theme, followed by the top fifteen results for each question.

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Economic Competiveness

Like…

• Entrepreneurship and small businesses

• Having a diversity of job opportunities

• Access to well-paying jobs

Change…

• Reduce taxes

• Create more jobs and more higher-paying jobs

• Increase the diversity of job opportunities

• Attract more businesses in downtown areas

25

What we heard was important: Recurring Themes…

Livability & EnvironmentLike…

• Community/neighborhood character (Rural places, Small Towns and Cities)

• Ability to walk and bike places

• Good road/highway access and light traffic

• Access to public transit; open space, parks & recreation; and shopping/services nearby

• Proximity to New York City (and beaches in Monmouth & Ocean)

Change…

• Encourage a greater diversity of businesses and services in downtown areas

• Create more affordable housing options

• Make it easier and safer to walk and bike places

• Increase availability of public transit & improve the frequency/quality of services

• Improve transportation “connections” (roads & transit) and reduce traffic congestion26


Society & Community

Like…

• Low crime and safe neighborhoods

Change…

• Improve public safety, especially in cities

27


28


What do you LIKE about where you LIVE?

Response Number

Access to open space 94

Rural community character 69

Livability / walkability of community 65

General Community character 60

Ability to walk and/or bike to places 55

Low crime & safe neighborhoods 54

Access to public transportation options 44

Proximity or general accessibility to locations 41

Access to shopping and services nearby 38

Small Town community character 35

Quality schools 32

Visual appeal and aesthetics 30

Access to recreational opportunities 28

Proximity / easy access to New York City 27

Downtown shopping areas and "Main Streets" 26

“Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

29


What do you want to CHANGE about where you LIVE?

Response Number

Need to reduce taxes 57

Need more local public transit options 49

Need to make it easier and safer to walk and bike places 46

Need to lower crime 46

Need more vibrant downtowns with greater diversity of businesses & services 42

Need more regional transit options 41

Need to reduce traffic and congestion 39

Need more affordable housing options 37

Need to improve transportation connectivity (roads and transit) 36

Need to support entrepreneurship to create more businesses 35

Need a greater diversity of housing options 30

Need to improve the frequency, safety and quality of transit options 27

Need better access to parks and open space 26

Need to improve infrastructure 25

More local government control 21


30


What do you LIKE about where you WORK?

Response Number

Transportation - general 62

Proximity to home 57

Job specific reason 43

Amenities nearby 43

Diversity of job opportunities 33

Town setting 30

General location 28

Opportunities to be self-employed 25

Easy commute - transit 24

Walkable location 23


Local hub / cluster, proximity to clients 22

Independently owned shops and businesses 19

High-paying jobs nearby 17

Nature / parks nearby and waterfront 16


31


What do you want to CHANGE about where you WORK?

Response Number

Too few jobs / bad economy 73

Transit (General) 42

Need less bureaucracy, regulation. Change politics. 38

Need to attract more business 35

Accessibility (general) 34

Need higher paying jobs 33

Too much traffic and congestion 30

Need more job training / workforce training opportunities 26


Job specific changes 23

Difficulty walking or biking to work 23

Need more entrepreneurship 21

Business environment too expensive, insurance, rent too high 21

Work too far from home 17

Need more amenities by work 15


32


What do you LIKE about how you GET AROUND?

Response Number

Easy driving commute 92

Transit accessibility 88

Easy walking or biking commute 57

Multiple transit options (bus or train, many lines) 41

Choice between driving or transit available 35

General location 32

Everything is close 30

Highways and major roads 27


Views, aesthetics, open space 23

Minor and back roads 20

Proximity to home 16

Independence 10

Nothing 7

Safety 5


33


What do you want to CHANGE about how you GET AROUND?

Response Number

Lack of transit 154

Too much traffic and congestion 97

Cycling is unsafe 55

Walking is unsafe 45

Transit does not connect towns 40

Need to improve transit schedules 33


Need more road maintenance 29

Safety 25

Everything is far / places not accessible 20

Parking is scarce, hard, expensive 17

New York City is inconvenient 13

Tolls and gas are too high 13

Transit facilities are poor 12

Transit is too slow 11


PLANNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES


34

Planning Goal and Objectives Results

Participants were then asked to rank planning goals, using the electronic clickers.

Those results are presented in the following slides.

35

Which planning goals and objectives are most important…

Prioritized List of Regional Planning Goals

(Weighted Score)

1. Strengthen the region’s economy (1586)

2. Improve everyone’s access to opportunity (1296)

3. Ensure communities are safe, healthy and great places to live (1062)

4. Enhance efficiency and conserve land (951)

5. Protect and enhance the environment (908)

36

Prioritized List of Regional Planning Objectives

(Weighted Score)

1. Keep and create well-paying jobs (655)

2. Ensure infrastructure is in good repair and can support economic development (649)

3. Connect where people live with where they need to go (591)

4. Maintain/expand vibrant downtowns and main streets (371)

5. Create safe, stable neighborhoods w/high quality housing (357)

6. Maintain and improve the quality of schools (356)

7. Encourage development of compact neighborhoods with a mix of housing, shopping and services (327)

8. Preserve open space and natural areas (269)

37


(Weighted Score)

9. Increase investment near existing housing, jobs and infrastructure (253)

10. Preserve & enhance the character of existing downtowns and neighborhoods (242)

11. Increase the economy’s ability to adapt to change (187)

12. Create inclusive, mixed income neighborhoods (185)

13. Reduce combined transportation and housing costs (164)

14. Improve access to community resources such as libraries, senior centers, and youth activities (144)

15. Reduce potential impacts of climate change (138)

38


(Weighted Score)

16. Increase ability to respond to and recover from extreme weather events (127)

17. Ensure adequate water supply (125)

18. Improve access to parks and recreational opportunities (112)

19. Improve public health (108)

20. Improve access to cultural resources (99)

21. Increase regional economic self-sufficiency (95)

22. Direct development away from environmentally sensitive areas (89)

23. Improve water quality (51)

24. Preserve wildlife habitat (37)39

Goal 6: Address regional growth issues in a coordinated way

1. Ensure a broad cross-section of residents, businesses and local government leaders are engaged in the planning process, including populations traditionally under-represented in regional planning processes (120 votes)

2. Protect property rights during planning & implementation (71)

3. Foster collaboration between Federal, State, County and local government to address regional growth issues (70)

4. Provide a regional framework for making decisions about capital investments, programs, regulations and major development applications (54)

40

Goal 6: Address regional growth issues in a coordinated way

5. Align existing plans, programs and regulations at all levels of government (31)

6. Maintain, up-to-date, coordinated local, regional, and State functional plans that reflect Together North Jersey regional planning goals and objectives (27)

41

What we heard was missing…

• Support small businesses and entrepreneurship

• Support farmland preservation and agricultural businesses in appropriate locations (both rural and urban)

• Enhance workforce preparedness and expand training opportunities

• Improve and expand existing public transportation options

• Encourage transit-oriented development

• Make it easier and safer to walk and bike places

• Expand access to diverse housing options for all income groups

• Reduce taxes and regulations and reform the property tax system

• Encourage the use of shared services to improve government efficiency

• Also a variety of place-specific strategies and local project ideas

42

DISCOVERY WORKSHOP POLLING DEMOGRAPHICS WITH REGIONAL COMPARISONS


43

Connecting People, Places, and Potential.‹#›

What is your household size?

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

17%

40%

17%

22%

5%

25%

29%

17%

28%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

1 person household 2 person household 3 person household 4 or more person households


Workshops Region

How many persons in your household are under the age of 18?


9% 8%5%

2%

71%

4%

15% 13%

5%2%

65%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

One (1) Two (2) Three (3) Four or more (4+) None Prefer not to answer

Workshops Region

How many persons in your household are over the age of 65?


16% 14%

0% 0%

63%

6%

27%

73%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

One (1) One or More (Region Only)

Two (2) Three (3) Four or more (4+)

None Prefer not to answer

Workshops Region


How long have you lived in your current neighborhood?

5%

8%

15%

22%

46%

1%3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Less than a year 1-3 years 4-10 years 11-20 years 20+ years I do not live in Northern NJ


Do you rent or own your home?

50


(Occupied Units)

19%

75%

3% 4%

37%

63%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Rent Own Residence is provided by others Prefer not to answer

Workshops Region

How many vehicles are kept at your home for your household's use?

51


(vehicles available for occupied housing units )

9%

29%

38%

20%

4%

12%

35% 36%

17%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

No vehicles 1 vehicle 2 vehicles 3+ vehicles Prefer not to answer

Workshops Region

Are you…?

52


49%45%

3% 3%

49%51%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Male Female Other Prefer not to answer

Workshops Region




How did you hear about tonight's meeting?

56

20%

15%

10%

5%

1%

12%

17%

2%

15%

3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Together North Jersey

email / website

NJTPA email / website

County / city email / website

Print newspaper

Online newspaper

Community group or

organization

Family Flyer posted at library

Other Prefer not to answer

For More Information:

57

Jon Carnegie, AICP/PP

Project Director

TOGETHER NORTH JERSEY

Executive Director

Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center

Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

33 Livingston Avenue

New Brunswick, NJ 08901

PH: (848) 932-2840

FAX: (732) 932-3714

[email protected]

www.togethernorthjersey.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.togethernorthjersey.com/

City and County Discovery Phase Results Summary

Technology

planning goals

discovery phase workshops

shared valuespersonal

summary of shared values

standing committee meeting

change results polling

place high cost structure

transita network of