Here’s Why Gov. Phil Murphy Was In Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair saw itself hosting two high-profile visitors on Thursday when Governor Phil Murphy and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver came to speak at the Montclair Fire Department Headquarters on Pine Street.

The topic? Improving New Jersey’s downtown areas.

Murphy and Oliver were in Montclair to announced plans to restore funding for two of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ neighborhood improvement programs: Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) and the Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP).

During a roundtable discussion, Murphy and Oliver said that the governor’s proposed budget provides a total of $3 million for the programs – $500,000 for MSNJ and $2.5 million for the NPP. (Watch a video from the meeting here)

“For many years, New Jersey proudly had two programs that fostered economic growth partnerships – Main Street New Jersey and the Neighborhood Preservation Program,” Murphy said.

“After decades of success helping communities throughout the state, both programs unfortunately were neglected during the previous administration,” Murphy added, taking a dig at former Governor Chris Christie.

“By re-instating funding for these critical initiatives, we are demonstrating our responsibility as government officials to empower and strengthen our communities with the economic tools they need to ensure we are building an economy that lifts all families and residents,” Murphy said.

Oliver said that the resurgence of Main Street NJ and the Neighborhood Preservation Program “brings visibility to communities, encourages small business job creation, improves residents access to decent and affordable housing, and invites greater business and community involvement in economic development.”

Other participants at the roundtable included Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County Freeholder Brendan Gill, Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson, Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, Senator Nia Gill, Assemblyman Thomas Giblin, Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake, Montclair Business Improvement District (BID) President Phil Cantor, BID Director Israel Cronk, BID Secretary Lisa Johnson and Bloomfield Center Alliance Executive Director Ollyn Lettman.

Murphy’s office issued the following information about each program:

Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ)

“The resumption of funding for MSNJ in the amount of $500,000, will enable the State to once again support the renewal of historic downtowns, village centers, and neighborhood commercial districts by utilizing a comprehensive stakeholder-driven approach based on public-private partnerships. MSNJ, which is part of the National Main Street Program, was established in 1989 and operated until 2017.

“From 1990 to 2017, State-supported MSNJ efforts have leveraged more than $1.2 billion of private reinvestment in Main Street districts. For the last two decades, MSNJ districts created a net gain of 10,301 full-time jobs in 2,560 new and expanded businesses. Additionally, MSNJ local districts have supported more than 6,000 building preservation, improvement and construction projects, resulting in more than 1,700 downtown residential units at all affordability levels.

“Additionally, Westfield in 2004 and Montclair in 2015 won the coveted national Great American Main Street Award for their outstanding downtown revitalization work. In 2015, the MSNJ program itself won the national Innovation on Main Street Award.

Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP)

“The infusion of $2.5 million for NPP will be the first time the program is funded since 2009. The program, which operated for 34 years, provides technical assistance and guidance to participating municipalities for three to five years.

“Municipalities involved in NPP are responsible for maintaining dedicated community development offices and staff to facilitate preservation activities and engage residents. DCA makes resources available to encourage small business job creation, improve affordable housing access, and invite greater business and community investment.

“Over its 34-year history, NPP invested more than $56 million in 187 vulnerable neighborhoods in 20 counties. NPP has operated in densely populated urban areas like Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson as well as in suburban communities and rural centers like Collingswood Borough, Salem City, and Berlin Township.”

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Photo: NJ Office of the Governor