Updates on the MOM Passenger Rail Line Project

The following is a summary of the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex Rail Project Environmental Impact Statement Community Liaison Committee meeting held on March 27, 2003.

Highlights:

The purpose of the meeting was to involve local and regional decision makers in the MOM DEIS process. The minutes are not a sequential record of events but rather are intended to capture key themes and issues raised by the participants during the meeting.

Meeting Format and Attendance The format of the meeting included a brief introduction by Tom Clark (NJ TRANSIT) followed by a presentation delivered by Ruby Siegel (Project Manager - Consulting Team), Tom Marchwinski (NJ TRANSIT Demand Forecasting); and Lisa DiTaranti (Deputy Project Manager - Consulting Team). The presentation was divided into two sections with a discussion session following each section. Marlene Daniel (Consulting Team) facilitated the discussion groups. Approximately 44 individuals participated in the process.

Presentation Summary

The presentation delivered by project team members informed the CLC attendees of the following issues:

·          Project status and scoping results

·          The CLC role in the project process

·          NJ TRANSIT's approach and guiding principles regarding the local station planning process

·          The environmental and technical analysis process

Ruby Siegel (SYSTRA) opened the presentation with a project status overview and explained the role of the CLC members in the context of the project process. Ms. Siegel also shared with the CLC attendees the results of the scoping process. Ms. Siegel informed the attendees that NJ TRANSIT received over 1,500 comments from public and private testimony at scoping meetings, as well as from e-mails, letters, and voice mail. The CLC members were informed that 1,149 of 1,543 comments supported a rail solution and that comments were split both for and against each alignment. Ms. Siegel indicated that the comments were undergoing review and would be incorporated into the Final Scoping Document.

Ms. Siegel's presentation also included a discussion on how the MOM project team was planning to incorporate smart growth principles into the local station planning process. Ms. Siegel emphasized tile impo.l1ance of maintaining a balance between the project's goals and the future regional and local development goals and objectives proximate to tile three alignments.

Tom Marchwinski (NJ TRANSIT) informed the CLC attendees of the new ridership modeling techniques that will be used in the technical analysis phase of the project He indicated that ridership forecasts will be based on an updated version of the New Jersey Transit Demand Forecasting Model (NJTDFM)

Mr. Marchwinski also highlighted that the model being used for this project differs from the model used during the MIS project phase.

Lisa DiTaranti informed the CLC members of the project team's approach to conducting tile environmental and technical anal)!sis. Ms. DiTaranti presented the various elements that comprise a comprehensive technical analysis. Ms. DiTaranti also emphasized that tl1e technical analysis process is interactive and that there are several stages of municipality involvement and analysis refinement prior to any decision making on the part of NJ TRANSIT.

Discussions
Each discussion was designed to help NJ TRANSIT understand what communities know about smart growth principles as well as to understand each community's economic growth expectations. Each participant was provided two worksheets (attached), which asked a series of questions related to Smart Growth both regionally and locally. After completing the worksheets, participants at each table discussed their thoughts and insights. Afterwards, Marlene Daniel invited participants from each table to share a summary of their discussion with the entire group.

Discussion I

For the first discussion, participants were asked to share what they know about growth in their region. The following are some key issues and themes that were identified:

·          Growth in Marlboro is alarmingly high. Automobile traffic uses local roads through Marlboro
      to circumvent traffic on Route 9.

·          Shrewsbury local leadership believes development should occur where development can

      occur and not in areas overburdened and at  capacity.

·          Traffic and congestion is high in Eatontown. Fort Monmouth is the largest employer

       in Monmouth County. Eatontown is concerned how Fort Monmouth is being addressed

       vis-a- vis growth.

·          Need transportation choices and walkable communities.

·          Institute more regional control on growth.

·          Jamesburg is fully developed and therefore does not see the applicability of smart growth
      in their locale.

▪    Municipalities need more education on Smart Growth.

·          Municipalities need to have input into the "Big Map".

·          Relate land use more to transportation

·          Concern about safety of crossings.

·          In addition, impacts of crossings on open space preservation.

·          Consider the needs of buses

Discussion II

For the second discussion, participants were asked to share how growth in their locale or region has been managed and any obstacles in that management. The following are some key issues and themes from the second discussion:

·          Concern about quality of life and impacts on productivity. There were general concerns
      about a negative impact on the tax base and ratables available for the towns.

·          Restore a sense of community loss due to sprawl.

·          Greater need for north-south transportation choices. 1-195 provides convenient west-east
      access.

·          Future is here already and transportation must meet the needs of today as well as the
      future.

·          Ocean County has the 5t11 highest population in the state. Ocean County was formerly
      ranked 15th.

·          Municipalities must work together regionally and statewide

·          Non-auto access stations are essential

·          Common design guidelines for the entire project corridor

·          Small towns cannot control regional growth. Examine park and rides as an alternative to
      rail.

·          Can smart growth really control sprawl?

·          Direct service to NYC

·          Increasing commercial development over residential development could reduce commuting
      distances as well as create jobs near the rail line.

·          Concern expressed that NJ TRANSIT is duplicating the efforts of the MIS (1996) and that
      this study will provide no added value.

·          Shrewsbury believes they will see no benefit from project.

·          Include municipalities east of Route 34 at future CLC meetings

·          Identify access roads to stations and not merely the station footprint

·          Three-quarters of the Fort Monmouth population travel south and west. A rail connection at
      Tinton Falls to Lakewood/Lakehurst would greatly improve support for rail, especially if bus
      service were integrated with the rail connection.

·          What is driving the growth? Is the prospect of rail service driving the growth or are there
      other factors contributing to the economic and demographic dynamic.

·          Findings in MIS should be shared again with the public .

·          Be mindful of connectivity between rail and bus .

·          Alleviate traffic congestion along Routes 1 & 9

·          Concern about the taxes and burdens on municipal services.

·          Preserve open space

·          Preserve the Henry Hudson Trail

·          Impact "Home Rule" has on the smart growth initiative

·          Housing choices - currently there is one choice - the suburban single family home in an area
      you need to drive to. Other housing alternatives need to be created near rail lines.

                       More About The MOM Project From The County of Monmouth
                          More About The MOM Project From The County of Ocean

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