Found A Piece Of Land ,what Does The Town Need?
Just curious is there any way to find out what a town needs. I found a piece of land. It is zoned commercial. Across the street from 2 restaurants. 1.5 www.acres.Is there a srvice that can tell you?
One thing you can do is get your hands on the Comprehensive Plan or Master Plan for the municipality. See how the property or location is listed in terms of proposed land use. Sometimes these Plans identify specific properties and talk in terms of "highest and best use" which may be different from current zoning. In any event, the Comp Plan may provide some guidance on what the municipality would like to see there.
Another thing you can do is call the County Planning Commission. Don't know how it works in NJ, but in PA, often municipalities contract with County Planning Comm and "hire" a county planner as a consultant. This person can be invaluable source of info on current hot buttons in municipality and give you overview of what's going on there.
I would also check the current zoning ordinance to see what uses are permitted in the zoning district for the proeprty.
Thanks nancy. You mean there is a plan for every property in a town?
The Comp or Master Plan is used for land planning purposes. It covers the whole township/municipality. Cotains info on existing land uses, natural resources, utilities, transportation, etc. Looks at projected needs for housing, non-residential land uses, utils, transportation, etc. The "future" stuff in the Plan (land uses, util expansion, transportation, road network, etc.) is what the municipality thinks they're going to implement in order to meet future needs and demands. Wealth of info in these Plans, including demographic data.
If the municipality has adopted one or has a draft in the works, you can review it or purchase it at township bldg. If they don't, check with County Planning Commission to see if they have a county/regional plan. Hopefully, township has adopted one.
Thanks again Nancy, I will check it out.