Byrne and Hoover Emphasize the Need for Madison Economic Development

In a joint prepared statement, Democratic candidates for Madison Borough Council Maureen Byrne and John Hoover emphasize the need for the borough government to actively participate in Madison’s economic development.

Candidates Byrne and Hoover state: “Located along the NJ Transit Morris Corridor, Madison offers its residents a unique opportunity to access quality housing and education systems, while providing a convenient way of commuting to careers in NYC and the surrounding corporate campuses. Moreover, our downtown business community contributes to the overall quality of life, by providing essential goods and services within an easy walk or drive. These attributes contribute to why NJ Monthly Magazine recognized Madison as one of the top 20 communities in the state last year. We believe that if we work together as a community, we can further improve on that Madison quality of life we all treasure.

Byrne observed that “the governing body needs to work with Madison businesses to increase local traffic in the downtown. The Downtown Development Commission (DDC) and the Chamber of Commerce already sponsor many events intended to bring shoppers downtown. The annual ‘Taste of Madison,’ which I have co-chaired, and the Farmers Market, which I have supervised, along with Bottle Hill Day and the Christmas Parade, are but a few examples. We need to give people a reason to leave their computers and come downtown to relax and shop. In order to do that, we need to have a mix of stores and services that will entice Madison residents and visitors to “Shop Local”.

The DDC has acknowledged that the downtown could benefit from revitalization, and has teamed with the borough government to commission a comprehensive study of the downtown that will produce a blue print for the future. John Hoover, who was on the committee that issued an RFP and evaluated the responses, stated: “We charged the responders with studying the totality of Madison’s downtown – retail, restaurants, parking, in addition to the impact of rental units coming on line in the next few years. Our objective is to receive a detailed blueprint that we can follow to reinvigorate the Historic Downtown Area.”

Hoover continued, “We are very excited that the borough council has supported the committee’s recommendation and awarded the contract to the New York City-based firm of Urbanomics. The one statistic retailers always ask landlords is: how many people will walk in front of their store every day? As Maureen noted, The Farmer’s Market, for which I serve as its volunteer Logistics and Onsite Market Manager, and the Downtown Concert Series are great examples of how to increase foot traffic in town. However, there are many other ways to increase interest in our downtown that require additional analysis,

Although we have heard many good ideas, we really need the experts that Urbanomics brings to the table to guide us in what works and what doesn’t work so that we can begin to see material changes in our downtown soon. We expect to receive concrete implemental recommendations from Urbanonics. Once we have the results of their study, we can immediately begin to implement their recommendations with the assistance of local business and property owners.”

The candidates continued, “We anticipate using various incentives to attract new and exciting businesses; however we need to know what types of incentives are truly successful and will make a difference. We feel that downtown needs to better branded, which can be accomplished with effective publicity, while also making the appearance of downtown more cohesive. And importantly, we need to focus on the competition, particularly from the national chains that have located in neighboring towns and of course in the Short Hills Mall

We both endorse the development, possibly in partnership with local realtors, of a well- executed prospectus/video, describing the benefits of locating in Madison. It would highlight the quality of our schools, our security, our transit advantages, our historic downtown, and business opportunities. This prospectus/video would be distributed to retailers, real estate developers, corporations and relocation companies, to create buzz about Madison, and what it has to offer.”

Byrne and Hoover concluded that “Madison has thrived as long as it has because its residents and governing bodies acknowledge that it takes the efforts of the entire town to create community. The level of civic engagement in Madison is outstanding; our volunteer boards, our PTO’s, our sports leagues and governing bodies are full of engaged and active volunteers, who truly care and believe that their actions impact Madison in a meaningful and productive manner.

We need to continue to support these efforts, and work to bring more people into the process. An engaged and active community creates opportunities for all residents. Madison has shown that when the need arises, the community responds. And that is what ‘Putting Madison First’ really means.”