News Release
For Release: Monday, June 1
Contact: Frank Baraff 914-469-3775

Governor Corzine designates Orange as a Transit Village

Governor Jon S. Corzine has announced the designation of Orange as the state’s 20th Transit Village. Orange was awarded $100,000 in state funding as a part of its designation.

 “Securing this Transit Village designation will provide tremendous support for the people who live and work in Orange, and will help grow the city’s economy. The designation calls attention to Orange as a city committed to revitalizing and redeveloping the area around its train stations into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with a strong residential component. It will help attract real estate development in Orange. I want to especially thank Valerie Jackson, Director of Planning and Development and her staff for their tireless and capable work in securing this designation,” said Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

The Transit Village initiative redevelops and revitalizes communities around train stations to make them an appealing choice for people to live and work, reducing reliance on the automobile and strengthening local economies. It enables New Jersey to partner with Orange to invest in reducing congestion, increasing mass transit use, and building a more economically viable and pedestrian-friendly town center.

The Transit Village initiative designates municipalities with a bus, train, light rail station or a ferry terminal that have embraced a Smart Growth vision.  That vision includes opportunities for growth and economic revitalization; a commitment to compact, mixed-use development; a strong residential component including affordable housing; and jobs, restaurants, arts and entertainment and preservation of a rich architectural character within walking distance of a passenger transportation facility.

The program encourages growth in New Jersey towns where infrastructure and public transit already exist. Studies have shown that an increase in residential housing options within walking distance of a mass transit station increases transit ridership to a greater degree than any other type of development. The Transit Village initiative seeks to bring more housing, businesses and people into communities with mass transit stations.

The benefits of Transit Village designation include the state’s commitment to municipal redevelopment, eligibility for New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Transit Village grants, priority status for state funding, technical planning assistance, and coordination by state's Transit Village Task Force including, in addition to NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT, the Commerce and Economic Growth Commission, the Council on the Arts, the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Economic Development Authority, the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Office of Smart Growth, Main Street New Jersey and the Redevelopment Authority.