As noted above, you can participate by completing the online survey and attending the upcoming community meetings. You can also help by spreading the word about this project by sharing on social media and telling your neighbors, friends and family!

A reexamination report is a review, or a reassessment, of previously adopted Master Plans, amendments and local regulations.

A Master Plan is a blueprint for a municipality’s future growth and development. It guides the use of land throughout the Borough and includes a statement of goals, objectives, principles and strategies.

The Reexamination Report must address the following five (5) issues:

• The major problems and objectives relating to land development at the time of the last reexamination report.
• The extent to which such problems and objectives have changed.
• The extent to which there have been significant changes in assumptions, policies, and objectives forming the basis of the Master Plan.
• The specific changes recommended for the Master Plan or regulations.
• The recommendations of the Planning Board concerning the incorporation of adopted redevelopment plans.

The strategic update of the Land Use Plan Element will include action-oriented recommendations in the form of potential draft zoning ordinance amendments and the creation of goals and strategies for specific areas and corridors within the Borough.

It is intended that the Master Plan will be adopted by the end of December 2019.

The Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) requires that municipal master plans be reexamined or updated at least every 10 years. Highland Park’s last Reexamination Report was adopted in 2010. The last Master Plan was adopted in 2003. This effort will build on the 2010 Reexamination Report and the 2003 Master Plan and will result in an updated Master Plan for 2020. It is timely that a Master Plan update be undertaken in order to maintain the presumption of validity associated with the Borough’s Zoning and Land Development Regulations.

More specifically, NJSA 40:55D-89 states:

“The governing body shall, at least every 10 years, provide for a general reexamination of its master plan and development regulations by the planning board, which shall prepare and adopt by resolution a report on the findings of such reexamination, a copy of which report and resolution shall be sent to the Office of Planning Advocacy and the county planning board. A notice that the report and resolution have been prepared shall be sent to any military facility commander who has registered with the municipality pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2005, c.41 (C.40:55D-12.4) and to the municipal clerk of each adjoining municipality, who may request a copy of the report and resolution on behalf of the military facility or municipality. A reexamination shall be completed at least once every 10 years from the previous reexamination.”