EDISON MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction

1 1 EDISON MASTER plan INTRODUCTION This MASTER plan has been prepared in accordance with the requirements set forth in New Jersey Statutes Annotated 40:55D and under the direction of the MASTER plan Advisory Committee. It is intended to provide a careful assessment of the existing use of land and serve as a guide for future growth and development in EDISON . EDISON last adopted a comprehensive MASTER plan in 1989. A municipal MASTER plan provides a vision for the future growth of a community. It analyzes statistical trends, problems and opportunities, and provides a methodology and offers recommendations to address those issues and opportunities.

2 The MASTER plan strives to examine the rate and nature of past and present development, the future development potential under existing zoning parameters and environmental constraints, and the capacity of existing infrastructure to serve projected growth. A Land Use plan balancing EDISON s growth potential with its growth capacity through recommended changes to Land Use and zoning ordinance as well as a Future Land Use map has been provided. The Future Land Use plan specifically calls for anti-sprawl initiatives based on the design principles of New Urbanism.

3 Numerous public meetings were held to elicit public comment and address public concern relative to land planning in EDISON . The MASTER plan Advisory Committee, Open Space Advisory Committee and Board of Education met on many separate occasions to discuss each individual MASTER plan Element and enriched the planning process with their input. The professionals retained to prepare the MASTER plan utilized this input to guide and develop the plan . INTRODUCTION 2 EDISON MASTER plan Regional Context E dison, located in Middlesex County, encompasses a land area of square miles. Several major road networks including the NJ Turnpike and US Routes 1, 27, and 287 traverse EDISON , providing the municipality with excellent regional highway access.

4 EDISON is bordered on the north by Scotch Plains township and Clark township , on the west by Piscataway township and the Borough of South plainfield , on the southwest by the Borough of Highland Park, on the south by the Raritan River, and exclusively on the east by Woodbridge township . The Borough of Metuchen is located in the center. For the purposes of this MASTER plan , EDISON has been divided into five Planning Districts (PD s), which are described below and depicted graphically on the following map. It should be noted that these districts have been determined for purposes of presentation in this report and are not intended to serve as criteria for basing zoning district modifications.

5 The PD s herein have been created due to the size and scale of EDISON and the desire to provide manageable graphics easily interpreted by the average reader. Each PD was created utilizing three basic parameters: CRITERIA FOR PLANNING DISTRICTS 1. Configuration of Census Tracts for ease of census data manipulation; 2. A balance of population and/or land area among the districts; and, 3. Recognition of prominent physical boundaries such as railroad rights-of-way and major roadways. DESCRIPTION OF PLANNING DISTRICTS Planning District 1 This PD includes the northern portion of EDISON bounded to the west by South plainfield (Woodland Avenue); to the north by Scotch Plains and Clark; to the south by Oak Tree Road; and, to the east by Woodbridge.

6 Planning District 2 This PD includes the eastern portion of EDISON bounded by Oak Tree Road to the north; the Lehigh Valley (Conrail) Railroad to the south; Metuchen to the west; and, Woodbridge to the east. Planning District 3 This PD includes the western portion of EDISON south of Oak Tree Road from Grove Avenue to the South plainfield border and extending south to the Northeast Corridor transit rail line. Planning District 4 This PD includes the south-central portion of EDISON , bounded by the Northeast Corridor transit rail line to the north; Route 1 to the south; Highland Park to the west; and, Metuchen to the east.

7 Planning District 5 This PD includes the southern portion of EDISON from the Raritan River waterfront north to the Lehigh Valley (Conrail) Railroad. PD five, which is bisected by the NJ Turnpike, is bound by Route 1 and Metuchen to the west. The municipal boundary of Woodbridge township forms the eastern border of this PD. 3 EDISON MASTER plan The following table identifies the Census Tract designations associated with each PD. TABLE Census Tracts By Planning District REGIONAL CONTEXT PLANNING DISTRICT One Two Three Four Five CENSUS TRACTS ( 2000) 4 EDISON MASTER plan Planning District Boundaries Map REGIONAL CONTEXT 5 EDISON MASTER plan Goals & Objectives COMMUNITY VISION The following goals and objectives have been identified to guide future growth, development and redevelopment and create a vision for EDISON .

8 The goals and objectives have been prepared under the assumption that they will have a positive influence on the future direction of EDISON and shape policies guiding land use decisions and development practices. The individual elements of this comprehensive MASTER plan will provide a careful and in-depth analysis of land use issues and the furtherance of the herein stated goals and objectives. Said elements have been enriched and validated by public comment and review by the Planning Board. Encourage the preservation of distinct, cohesive neighborhoods.

9 Encourage well designed, anti-sprawl land development that is consistent with established neighborhoods and land use patterns while preserving the community s suburban and urban landscapes which make EDISON a unique and desirable place to both live and work. Consistent with recommendations in the State Development and Redevelopment plan for Metropolitan Planning Areas, capitalize on opportunities for redevelopment. Encourage new development consistent with the scale of established land uses while preserving the character and developed nature of existing neighborhoods and proximate land uses at densities which consider available vacant land.

10 Encourage the continued development of existing and potential business corridors and centers including but not limited to Amboy Avenue, the Revlon Property, the Ford Property, the Jackson Avenue Redevelopment Area, and the Seaport Village. LAND USE Encourage EDISON to develop as an urban/suburban municipality with a balanced mix of institutional, commercial and industrial land uses and housing types predicated on the design principles of New Urbanism along with ample community facilities and recreational amenities while preserving the riverfront landscape and other natural resources of EDISON .