Panhandle Region Plan - Municipal Action Committees (MAC)

The Monmouth County Planning Board is pleased to announce that the Panhandle Region Plan is officially underway and cordially invites your municipality to actively participate in the preparation of this important regional planning effort.  The study region includes the following municipalities of :

               Borough of Allentown                         Millstone Township

               Borough of Roosevelt                         Upper Freehold Township

A.  Purpose of the Plan

This study will result in the preparation of a Panhandle Regional Plan.  This plan has several purposes:

       1.  The Plan is intended to meet the following goals of the State Planning Act and the New Jersey

State Development Plan.

·         Redevelopment and revitalization of cities and towns

·         Promote economic growth

·         Preserve natural features and open space

·         Encourage inter-municipal coordination and cooperation

·         Preserve and enhance quality of life

·         State Plan Endorsement

2.      The Panhandle Regional Plan will create a vision for the Panhandle region as well as establish a vision of each municipality within the study area.  The intent of the plan will be to propose a policy framework to help achieve these visions.  As part of the policy framework, the plan will evaluate a set of planning alternatives to help the area guide future growth and conservation efforts.  The study will examine the region's land development pattern and identify the present and future availability of growth to support economic development, transportation and public infrastructure.  Using demographic, socioeconomic and land use data, the study will examine local and regional plans and create projections for the selected build-out scenarios.

The Monmouth County Planning Board is in the process of retaining the services of a planning consultant to assist in the preparation of the plan. 

B: Regional Collaborative and Municipal Action Committees (MACS)

To ensure that the plan is prepared through a cooperative and inclusive process including municipal participation, the study calls for the formation of a Panhandle Regional Collaborative that will meet regularly to guide the preparation of the plan.  Municipal representation at the Regional Collaborative will be the responsibility of Municipal Action Committee (MAC) members.

Each municipality should establish a MAC comprised of:

1.      A technical advisor(e.g. planner)

2.      A representative from the Governing Body

3.      A representative from the Planning Board

4.      A contingent of community stakeholders including but not limited to administrators, clerks,  engineers, or representative from advisory groups such as environmental, farmland, historic preservation, or other citizens.

Any MAC members should be dedicated to and have a strong interest in the community’s future development.  MAC members will be responsible for helping guide the regional plan, promote municipal interests and goals, and disseminate information to the governing body, planning board and interested community stakeholders.  The County will also invite individuals and groups to participate as part of the Regional Collaborative outside the purview of the MAC.

Municipalities that participate in this regional study will be able to use the data, information and results from the plan in their own municipal plan endorsement petitions to the State Planning Commission.  The county will support municipal plan endorsement petitions that are consistent with the Panhandle Regional Plan.