The 6-acre property that will become the future home of the 2nd Street Park was, for many years, the area was used to recycle scrap metals. Conversion of a scrapyard off of 2nd Street into a new, state of the art park is underway. Funded by NJDEP, the new park will service a neighborhood in need of new playground and park amenities while getting rid of contamination of soil. It will help clean the environment and boost the recreational accessibility of the residents in the neighborhood.

As one of New Jersey’s great waterfront cities, Perth Amboy contains assets that, when harnessed, will help it achieve its economic goals. Perth Amboy has a vision for economic growth that includes: Establishing a regional center of 21st Century industry, including, renewable energy, developing an energized and vibrant downtown and waterfront, and lastly Building a skilled workforce that is attractive to businesses.

The City of Perth Amboy initiated this planning effort to develop a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian circulation plan with a desire to make the entire city safer and more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Perth Amboy Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan sets out a framework to improve pedestrian and bicycle conditions in Perth Amboy. Recommendations from the plan will guide the planning and design of future bicycle and pedestrian projects and help the City to attract financial support for implementation through grant programs that fund bicycle and pedestrian projects. This project was funded through the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs (NJDOT/OBPP) Local Bicycle/Pedestrian Planning Assistance program, and Urban Engineers, Inc. (Urban) served as the project consultant.

Historically, transportation has played a central role in the development of Perth Amboy. The City is served by a circulation network consisting of roads and highways, mass transit, bicycle/pedestrian facilities and waterfront access with ferry service capability. The City’s transportation system is a critical component of its economy and ongoing revitalization efforts. Further improvements to the City’s transportation system, as recommended within this plan, will serve to improve safety; reduce congestion; improve conditions for walking and bicycling; and enhance the redevelopment efforts along the waterfront, downtown and throughout the City.

Perth Amboy is a community with a combined sewer system which carries both wastewater and stormwater in the same pipes. During heavy rain or snow melt, combined sewer systems often cannot manage all of the water and overflow causing a combined sewer overflow (CSO) event. When overflows or CSO events occur, stormwater that has been mixed with untreated wastewater is discharged into local waterways, carrying with it many contaminants. By using cost effective green infrastructure practices, Perth Amboy can begin to reduce the negative impacts of stormwater runoff, reduce pressures on the local infrastructure, increase resiliency to CSO events, and protect the health of our waterways. This feasibility study is intended to be used as a guide for the community of Perth Amboy to begin implementing green infrastructure practices and demonstrate to residents and local leaders the benefits and opportunities for better managing stormwater runoff.

The Goals and Objectives of the Perth Amboy Master Plan establish a clearly defined vision of the future of the City of Perth Amboy. The work on developing this vision began with the adoption of the Focus 2000 Redevelopment Plan. It continued with the adoption of the City’s Master Plan Reexamination Report in October 2001. The adoption of the 2003 Master Plan represents the next step in this process. With the implementation of the goals and objectives contained in the new Master Plan, the redevelopment and revitalization of Perth Amboy will continue and the City’s vision will become reality. In reviewing the history of Perth Amboy, we can see how the City consistently evolved and transformed itself in response to new economic and historic trends. The goals and objectives in this document are another step in the City’s growth and evolution. Together, they form the basis of a comprehensive plan to achieve the City’s vision and make Perth Amboy one of the preeminent communities in NJ. The City has been making updates to the Master Plan since the plan was last holistically updated. The Circulation Element and the Recreation Element are examples of recently updated portions of the Master Plan with the Creative Placemaking Plan and Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study being additional pieces not originally included in the Master Plan. The City is ready to put together the different updates made over the years into a new holistic update to the Master Plan in the near future.

Over the past several years, the City of Perth Amboy has been aggressively planning for its future to accommodate existing and expected growth. Several studies indicated that the City’s unique culture and extensive history was one of the greatest underutilized assets. The Perth Amboy Creative worked together for about a year to build strategies and collaborations to address social and economic issues through arts and culture.

The Rudyk Park Community Accessibility and Expansion Project is a conceptual design/plan for expanding and improving access to Rudyk Park. The project is part of the City of Perth Amboy’s larger initiative to improve community access to parks and recreational spaces throughout the city. For this project, planning and design professionals from Rutgers University and Perth’s Amboy’s Office of Economic and Community Development conducted research and analysis of the park, community outreach and prepared a final conceptual park design.

The Edward J. Bloustein School at Rutgers University was approached by the City to commission a graduate planning studio that would analyze the City’s potential and assist in providing strategic direction. The plan described in this document is the product of the studio’s work. It is an exercise in strategic thinking that attempts to address the future of the City from an outsider’s perspective at bird’s-eye view. Over a period of three months, the Bloustein studio conducted fieldwork, undertook background research and met with stakeholders, to better understand both the real world conditions in the City and the local high priority items. The process was initiated by a group bus tour followed by a meeting with City agencies and officials. Regular meetings were held with City Planning staff. The studio also participated in steering committee meetings for the various planning studies actively underway. Studio members undertook multiple site visits on their own. The findings from these inquiries were combined with the team’s own analysis and thought process to formulate recommendations for the City’s strategic direction. These recommendations were reviewed with key stakeholders within the City and presented to the City Council at a public meeting on December 9, 2013. It is believed that the recommendations contained in this report, if appropriately implemented, will help the City to better shape its own future.