ANJEC GRANT NOTICE 2007:

2007 PLANNING GRANTS FOR NJ MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES 

ANJEC is pleased to announce that we have received funding from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to continue our Smart Growth Planning Assistance Grant Program in 2007. For the past five years, this program has provided matching grants of up to $20,000 each to towns for land use planning projects that protect natural resources, open space and quality of life. Since 2002, the program has contributed more than $900,000 toward 112 local planning projects involving 97 New Jersey municipalities and their environmental commissions. Starting in 2007, counties with environmental commissions will also be eligible to apply for Smart Growth grants.

ANJEC will mail application packets to municipalities in mid-January 2007. We are sending this early notice to give administrators, elected officials and environmental commissions time to plan and budget for projects that could be funded by the program in the coming year.

The goal of smart growth planning is to discourage sprawl, create efficient, walkable communities with sufficient open spaces and green infrastructure, and protect rural and environmentally sensitive areas so they can continue to perform their critical environmental and ecological functions. The Smart Growth Planning Assistance Grant Program provides an incentive for towns to examine their vision for the future, assess their natural and open space resources, and adjust their land use plans, zoning and ordinances to insure that future development will contribute to the livable communities they envision.

Municipalities and counties may use ANJEC Smart Growth Planning Grants for:

•  natural resource inventories;

•  open space plans and preservation programs;  

•  master plan conservation elements;

•  land use ordinances for LEED/green building, renewable energy or energy efficiency;

•  brownfields or revitalization plans that include new open space;

•  bicycle/pedestrian or trails network plans;

•  capacity studies including build-out analysis, septic capacity and groundwater supply analysis;

•  master plan and zoning ordinance revisions that incorporate smart growth concepts and open space   preservation, including cluster development, conservation zoning or downzoning;

•  planning tasks that contribute to obtaining Plan Endorsement from the State Planning Commission;

•  ordinances that protect critical areas including steep slopes, stream corridors and wellhead areas;

•  intermunicipal or regional plans to protect natural resources.

Any New Jersey municipality that has a functioning environmental commission, established by ordinance, may apply for a grant through this program. For projects strictly related to open space, a standing open space committee may suffice.  The grants are for new projects, only. No grants will be awarded for projects that have already begun, or for which consultant services have already been contracted.

Your town’s environmental commission, mayor, administrator and planning board will receive application packets in the mail in January. Counties will receive applications through their county planning departments. The application information will also be posted on ANJEC’s website, www.anjec.org, in January.  For additional questions about the grants or about environmental commissions, please contact Kerry Miller at kmiller@anjec.org, or 973-539-7547.