Committee maps floodway properties for owner outreach
Millburn’s Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee wants a working list of vacant and floodway-adjacent parcels, with maps and a draft letter to owners.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — committee advances floodway property outreach and, committee weighs project pipeline, visibility, and, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
Members described the idea as a possible buyback-style approach: identify vulnerable properties, contact owners, and turn future acquisitions toward flood mitigation and passive open space.
The committee is starting with the map.
The Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee agreed to review a list of vacant and floodway-adjacent properties, map possible acquisition targets, and draft an official outreach letter to owners. Members described the effort as a possible floodway buyback approach, similar to Blue Acres. The goal is straightforward: reduce flood risk over time while preserving land as passive open space.
The discussion put the committee’s role in practical terms. First, identify which properties make sense. Then sort out how to approach owners in a formal way. The group did not approve any purchase, set any spending amount, or name specific parcels for acquisition in the summary provided. What it did do was move the idea from a general concept toward a process the township can use.
What comes next is more administrative than ceremonial. Members plan to refine the property list, match it to mapping, and prepare outreach language for owners. That would give the township a clearer picture of where voluntary acquisitions might be possible and whether a longer-term flood mitigation strategy could take shape through the Open Space Trust Fund.
Committee weighs project pipeline, visibility, and financing
The committee wants a clearer project list before money starts moving.
In a second discussion, members talked about building a more visible pipeline for Open Space Trust Fund projects. They pointed to acquisitions people can easily see, including the former Exxon site, and to possible regional trail connections. The point was not just to generate ideas, but to organize them into a list the township can actually act on.
Members paired that conversation with a basic financing question: when should the township pay cash, and when should it borrow? The committee contrasted cash spending for smaller projects with bonding for larger ones, especially if annual revenue continues to grow.
That framework matters because the fund can support very different kinds of work, from targeted improvements to larger land deals. A clearer pipeline would help the township decide which projects are ready, which ones need more planning, and which ones are large enough to justify long-term financing.
Resident presses Exxon site and Bauer access
During public comment, a resident urged action on the former Exxon station site at Old Short Hills Road and Millburn Avenue and said it could become a natural garden that helps with flooding. The same speaker said winter Tai Chai participants struggled to use the Bauer Center in bad weather and raised demand for volleyball and other recreation programming.
land/acquisition
Committee flags Short Hills station repairs
Members discussed possible historic preservation projects at the Short Hills train station, including westbound platform ADA work and repointing deteriorated brick on the station building. They said the township owns the Short Hills station, while exterior work there and in park settings would require Historic Preservation Commission review.
Committee discussed ADA platform work and masonry repairs at the Township-owned Short Hills train station.
Open Space list grows with recreation ideas
The committee reviewed possible Open Space-funded recreation projects, including a walking loop around Gero Park, a connection from Old Short Hills Park to South Mountain Reservation, and ideas such as bocce and sand volleyball. Members said the next step is to turn those concepts into applications and then rank them against other priorities.
Committee reviewed future Open Space projects including walking paths, park connections, bocce, and volleyball.
Gilbert Place corner eyed for park improvements
Members discussed the South Mountain corner area near Gilbert Place as a township-owned site constrained by Green Acres and crossed by sewer infrastructure. They said the area could support neighborhood park improvements, while related flood mitigation planning includes work on a stormwater pump and possible added redundancy.
Discussion covered a Township-owned South Mountain corner for a neighborhood park and flood-mitigation constraints.
- Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee (Millburn Township). A public speaker thanked the committee and raised concerns about the corner former Exxon station site, urging action and suggesting it could become a sustainable natural garden and help flood mitigation. The speaker also reported difficulty accessing the Bauer Center for winter Tai Chi and noted demand for volleyball and interest in park programming.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
Millburn had 6 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
SUNDAYS IS SUPPORTED BY · Stephanie Mallios/Compass REExperience is Key →
- GOVERNANCEPublic comment: senior accessibility concerns and suggestion of Gero Park as a more accessible senior center option. A public speaker emphasized senior accessibility challenges at the Bauer Center, citing parking and walking difficulties for older residents. The speaker suggested that Gero Park could potentially serve as a senior-oriented center due to accessibility, while Bauer could be more youth-oriented, and suggested exploring transportation options.
- GOVERNANCEOld Short Hills Park use constraints and Greenwood Gardens considerations. Members discussed that Old Short Hills Park is generally viewed as a passive-use park and that more intensive uses could face pushback, including from Greenwood Gardens. They referenced prior ideas (e.g., a cricket pitch) and noted that while some uses could be community-building, they may not align with expectations for the park.
- GOVERNANCECommittee plans outreach sessions and liaison updates. Members kept the September 28 meeting date and discussed adding an in-person or coffee-style public session to gather ideas and raise awareness of the Open Space program. They also discussed liaison follow-through, including explaining the fund to the Environmental Commission and sharing updates across boards.
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