Client: Greater Hightstown East Windsor Improvement Project (GHEWIP)

Overview

Greater Hightstown East Windsor Improvement Project (GHEWIP), a local civic group, retained Phillips Preiss to identify redevelopment opportunities in the Borough of Hightstown, a historic community located along Peddie Lake in Mercer County. Phillips Preiss established a short-term strategy to re-start the stalled redevelopment of the Rug Mill site, a large industrial property located at a critically important gateway to the Borough. The firm recommended a number of amendments to the existing redevelopment plan, based on market and demographic trends, economic factors and the Borough’s planning objectives, to catalyze private interest in the property.

Client: City of Newark, New Jersey

Overview

Newark, the largest city in New Jersey, hired Phillips Preiss in 2008 to lead a multi-disciplinary consulting team to prepare a Master Plan Reexamination that would lay the framework for a complete new Master Plan. After adopting the Reexamination, the City of Newark selected a consultant team to prepare the new Master Plan. Phillips Preiss was a key member of this team, with primary responsibility for land use and zoning issues in the Master Plan, and advised on other planning topics.

Results

Phillips Preiss worked with City staff to prepare a series of immediate zoning changes to implement portions of the Reexamination. The new Master Plan was adopted in 2012. Phillips Preiss subsequently worked with City staff on a full overhaul of Newark's Zoning Ordinance - its first in over 60 years. The new Zoning & Land Use Regulations were adopted in 2015.

Clients: various

Overview

Phillips Preiss works on behalf of both private property owners and public agencies in eminent domain proceedings to provide expert planning and market evaluations of taken properties before the courts.

• Advisement to agencies and property owners on land use issues affecting negotiations and potential litigation.
• Preparation of expert planning reports for use by agencies and property owners in negotiations and litigation.
• Appearance and the provision of expert testimony before Commissioner’s hearings; and where property acquisitions are subject to litigation, in New Jersey courts.

Phillips Preiss' services have provided the basis for fair and equitable valuation of property, resulting in voluntary settlement between “taking” agencies and property owners; or where litigation has ensued, have provided the courts with a basis for informed rulings on value.

Clients: Numerous New Jersey municipalities

Overview

Phillips Preiss provides affordable housing planning services to numerous municipalities. We have a comprehensive understanding of the 1985 Fair Housing Act, the 2024 Amended Fair Housing Act, rules generated by the defunct Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) which remain valid, and the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC) including its recent amendments. We have successfully guided municipal clients through the State man-dated process which involves analysis and rebuttal of affordable housing numbers issued by the Department of Community Affairs; discussions in front of the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program with Fair Share Housing Center and other interest parties regarding municipal obligations; identification of appropriate sites for affordable housing; recommendations for fair share compliance mechanisms tailored to each municipality’s individual circumstances and built context; negotiations with interested affordable housing developers regarding densities, scale, housing types, and bulk standards; utilization of the Highlands Council Build-Out portal; preparation of vacant land adjustments; drafting of fair share plans and implementing ordinances; presentations of municipal plans at public meet-ings; and ongoing compliance work with the ultimate goal of a Court granted judgment of compliance and repose protecting our client municipalities from the threat of Builders’ Remedy lawsuits until 2035.

Client: Village of Larchmont, NY

Overview

Phillips Preiss worked for the Village of Larchmont, NY to prepare 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. 

Client: Township of Cranbury, NJ

View of new open space framed by townhouses. Special attention paid to making front and rear facades of townhouses both pedestrian-friendly.

View of the mixed-use retail buildings and public plaza. Rendering by Zampolin Architects.

Overview

Design guidelines and redevelopment plan for a mixed-use infill project. Street-facing retail with apartments overhead, and to the rear, a series of townhouses flanking a new public open space. The guidelines focused on ensuring pedestrian connectivity, active ground-floor uses, and human-scaled architecture. 

Client: Township of Woodbridge, NJ

Street section redesign for Main Street, Woodbridge, adding bicycle lanes, street trees that will grow to a taller height than the current trees, and wider sidewalks with bulb-outs.

Main Street, Woodbridge

The creek-side park in Woodbridge

Overview

Downtown Vision Plan for downtown Woodbridge, NJ. The town has a nearly continuous streetwall of retail stores extending for several blocks, a beautiful creek-front park, and a train station providing direct service into Manhattan. However, the downtown has little foot traffic. While downtown has a large parking supply, it is not allocated or managed efficiently. The design of the streets and private property frontages and facades does not contribute to creating an interesting and intriguing environment for pedestrians. Several large parcels with low-intensity development offered opportunity sites for infill and intensification. Phillips Preiss developed a Vision Plan that spells out a wide range of short- and long-term improvements that would help bring more residents downtown, transform the downtown into a dining destination, and create attractive public spaces to gather and linger.