By Joshua Burd
A state agency has unveiled a new plan that it hopes will spark economic development in and around downtown Trenton.
The Capital City Redevelopment Corp. announced Tuesday that it has updated what’s known as its Renaissance Plan, a document that goes back to 1989 and has guided public and private investment decisions within Trenton’s commercial center. The latest version, which the CCRC crafted in tandem with Newark-based Topology, identifies seven key objectives:
- Making the city’s downtown more attractive, inviting and safe
- Improving access in and around downtown
- Restoring traditional linkages to waterways
- Promoting a diversity of uses
- Improving the circulation and parking network downtown
- Expanding and enhancing the historical value of Trenton
- Enhancing the social environment.
The update also includes individual recommendations and priority actions to achieve those goals within each of the six planning areas within the Capital District: The Canal, the State Capital, the Central Business District, Mill Hill, the Riverfront and the Transit Center, according to a news release. Additionally, the Renaissance Plan provides clear and predictable guidance for land use and development that considers, and is aligned with, the long-term and aspirational goals of both the state and the city of Trenton while addressing existing transportation systems and ways to manage and meet transportation demands.
State officials said the newest version reflects a multiyear effort by Trenton stakeholders to account for how changes to the city’s social, economic and natural environment should influence development going forward.
“Today’s adoption of the Renaissance Plan update establishes a clear blueprint to guide public and private development and redevelopment in the Capital District,” CCRC Chairman Peter A. Inverso said. “A 21st century Trenton needs a 21st century plan. We are grateful to the many agencies, organizations, stakeholders and members of the public who helped shape this plan into one that is both representative of the current community and adaptable for the Trenton of tomorrow.”
The state created CCRC in 1988 to assist with the planning, coordination and promotion of development within the Capital District, which consists of those portions of the City of Trenton that serve as its commercial center, and in which public buildings and historic sites are located, the agency said. Its Renaissance Plan offers goals, policies and specific recommendations for investment decisions within the district.
Topology, a real estate and planning firm, oversaw and assisted with the new version in coordination with the city of Trenton’s recent update to its master plan, known as Trenton 250, as well as other relevant plans for areas within the CCRC’s geographic purview.
“‘Trenton Makes and the World Takes’ is more than just a slogan, and this updated community-based plan will help us recapture our once-prominent role as a hub of economic activity,” Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora said. “This plan has the best of both worlds: It preserves the historical, cultural, architectural and environmental assets of the Capital District, while also engendering significant new development opportunities.”
The CCRC released a draft of the update to the New Jersey State Building Authority, Trenton’s planning board and the Mercer County Planning Board for their input. The agency also posted the draft plan to its website and held public hearings in August, which were followed by a 30-day public comment period.
