What Will Berkeley Look Like In 20 Years? Residents Share Ideas

BERKELEY, NJ — In 20 years, what will Berkeley look like? Will the Beachwood Mall site be redeveloped? Will there be more houses than green space? And will the traffic problems on Route 9 ever be fixed?

These were the sorts of questions considered at the Township Visioning Workshop Tuesday night, where township officials, members of the Plan Endorsement Committee and residents came together to discuss the future of Berkeley Township.

Plan Endorsement is a voluntary process municipalities can undergo to align master plans with county and state plans. Participation gives municipalities benefits. Berkeley is in the process of renewing their designation, and the workshop is a requirement.

So what exactly is the plan? That's currently in the works. But Township Planner James Oris insisted that Berkeley intends on striking a balance between smart growth and preservation. Not every bit of green space can be saved, but the township hopes to reduce suburban sprawl as they continue to grow and preserve what they can.

"It's important that we don't look like Jersey City when it's all said and done," Oris said.

The meeting's purpose was to gather feedback from residents that the committee could use to craft a visioning statement that would be the subject of the next meeting, which has not been officially set.

Changes In The Plan

The first Plan Endorsement process was in 2001. Obviously, things are very different from back then, and even different from the most recent process in 2012.

There are two "town center" designations in Berkeley, which were originally planned for dense development. Development would then be discouraged elsewhere. At one point, there were up to 1,200 residences planned for the former site of Beachwood Mall, which is Town Center 1. Town Center 2 is the area where ShopRite is.

It was originally planned for the CN-A, B and C nodes to be pockets of development, Oris said. These "corridor nodes" would also be encouraged for development to discourage development elsewhere. But it's actually been proposed to eliminate these nodes, especially CN-C, which has preserved areas around it and is no longer appropriate for development.

Beachwood Mall

The site of Beachwood Mall has sat vacant for years and currently serves as an eyesore on Route 9. A redeveloper has plans for it, but these have changed several times due to the changing economy.

At one point, Walmart or another big box store was planned. It could have been a retail pad with restaurants. Then, there were talks of Amazon building a warehouse there. The developer is still trying to figure out what would work best there and be successful.

Residents said they would like to see more family recreation and entertainment in the Bayville area. One longtime resident noted that as a child, there was bowling, Blackbeard's Cave and a movie theater to visit. Now, there's not much for children.

"Those are all gone," one resident said. "They're never coming back."

But he said they needed to look forward and see what they could bring in.

A recreation center would be great, residents agreed. Maybe some retail and commercial space, but a new center, some sports fields or a bubble like in Toms River would be great.

But one resident said she didn't want to see anything there until traffic was improved.

Traffic Concerns

Many Berkeley residents have complaints about traffic, especially in certain areas - like Route 9 in front of ShopRite, which was brought up at the meeting.

When the room was asked what their ideal community would look like 20 years from now, one woman said "I'd like to be able to drive up Route 9."

The township has already been trying to improve Route 9, perhaps widening it, but that falls upon the state as a state road.

Many noted the area in front of McDonald's where lanes merge as a major cause of accidents. Most everyone in the room agreed that traffic is a big issue and should be focused on.

The coastal roads were another topic, as many get worse and worse flooding each year. Climate resiliency is a factor Berkeley will look into for the next 20 years, as changing weather impacts the town, Oris said.

Development And Preservation

Residents said they would like to see smart growth that reduces sprawl. They hoped for less dense housing, preferring single family homes over high density developments.

The issue of building on undersized lots was mentioned, but Oris said that Berkeley's hands were tied as it is case law.

Affordable housing was also brought up, which Oris said the town provides as they develop. Attendees said that the housing should be "aesthetically pleasing," and nice for the residents there, as some affordable housing areas in town are rundown.

"I'd like to see my grandchildren to be able to afford a house," another said.

Many were pleased with the level of preservation. Berkeley has 22,877 acres of open space and recreation, said Mike Davis of Remington and Vernick, the township's engineering firm.

It would also be better if building focused on more commercial ratables instead of residential developments, they said.

"We can't build more land," one noted. Traffic will always exist, but encouraging commercial businesses is a great way to help the town.