Land Use Regulation Services

In downtown Highlands, on Sandy Hook Bay and the Shrewsbury River, nearly the entire zone lies within the FEMA AE flood zone, and reinvestment and new construction has lagged since Hurricane Sandy. Phillips Preiss prepared an entirely new regulatory approach to downtown Highlands, replacing existing zoning with a Redevelopment Plan and a series of bonus height overlays. As part of the new approach, Phillips Preiss devised a two-tiered bonus program that awards higher heights in exchange for features that contribute to active, inviting, downtown-style streetscapes, including attractive, landscaped front “pocket parks” or plazas to create “breathing room” along the narrow, constrained Bay Avenue sidewalks and active uses on a floodproofed “Lowest Floor” – either the ground floor or the second floor. The plan was well received and unanimously approved in May 2022.

Working for the Village of Larchmont, NY, PPG prepared zoning and design guidelines for a residential neighborhood with large-lot single-family homes, challenging topography, and waterfront views. The firm's efforts focused on mitigating height, mass, and perceived bulk of single-family homes, particularly new construction. Revisions to zoning code and subdivision standards included grading, retaining walls, location and screening of parking, and building bulk and articulation. 

In downtown Highlands, on Sandy Hook Bay and the Shrewsbury River, nearly the entire zone lies within the FEMA AE flood zone, and reinvestment and new construction has lagged since Hurricane Sandy. Phillips Preiss prepared an entirely new regulatory approach to downtown Highlands, replacing existing zoning with a Redevelopment Plan and a series of bonus height overlays. As part of the new approach, Phillips Preiss devised a two-tiered bonus program that awards higher heights in exchange for features that contribute to active, inviting, downtown-style streetscapes, including attractive, landscaped front “pocket parks” or plazas to create “breathing room” along the narrow, constrained Bay Avenue sidewalks and active uses on a floodproofed “Lowest Floor” – either the ground floor or the second floor. The plan was well received and unanimously approved in May 2022.

Phillips Preiss worked with the Morris Township Planning Board to plan the redevelopment of the 147-acre former Honeywell International Inc. corporate campus. The work included amending the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan to create a new Office and Research Laboratory/Planned Unit Development (OL-40/PUD) designation. The PUD permits a mix of office, laboratory and townhouse uses subject to a series of development standards and contingent upon the submission of a general development plan.

Over the course of a decade, Phillips Preiss has helped the Township of Plainsboro convert a former industrial property into a world class health care-oriented mixed-use campus. Phillips Preiss' redevelopment plan sets forth a detailed regulatory framework and design guidelines.  Beyond medical offices and facilities, the redevelopment will include a day care center and age-restricted and other residential health care facilities. Walking paths, open spaces, water features, a green corridor and other common design elements will ensure that physical linkages between the various uses are provided. The plan creates an attractive and engaging outdoor environment that is beneficial to the health and well-being not just of patients, but also of doctors, employees, visitors and other members of the community.