Lawrence Township officials are taking the Master Plan on the road, seeking public input on what residents want in a new Master Plan at two listening sessions on June 13 and June 23.
The June 13 meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Cavalla Room at the Bart Luedeke Center at Rider University.
The June 23 meeting starts at noon and will be held at the Lawrence Township Senior Citizens Center at 30 East Darrah Lane.
An online survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TP9PLGN.
A Master Plan, which is required by law, sets out the vision that a town has for itself. It guides how land will be used, and is the basis for a town’s zoning ordinance.
The township’s current Master Plan was adopted in 1995. It has been updated periodically, but officials want to replace it with a new Master Plan.
The 2024 Master Plan will have six plans or elements that include Goals and Objectives, and a Land Use element that includes hazard and climate change mitigation.
The other elements are a Circulation Element for pedestrian and vehicular traffic; a Conservation Element; an Economic Development Element; and a Green Building and Sustainability Element.
The online survey asks whether the respondent lives in Lawrence and if so, how long have they lived in the township. It also asks the respondent to choose the neighborhood in which they live, and the three most important reasons for choosing to live in Lawrence.
It also asks the respondent if they work in Lawrence Township, and if the respondent owns a business in the township. If the respondent is a business owner, the survey asks where it is located and for how many years have they owned it.
Survey respondents can weigh in on changes they would like to see in Lawrence Township, such as fewer office buildings, more retail stores and more housing choices – townhouses, multifamily and senior housing.
It also asks for the areas in the township that the respondent believes are most appropriate for redevelopment – from the Slackwood neighborhood to the Village of Lawrenceville neighborhood.
Additional questions range from whether job opportunities should be expanded, to whether opportunities for safe walking, bicycle and mass transit options should be expanded.
