In March 1997, the City created the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency (PARA) and adopted an aggressive redevelopment plan, FOCUS 2000, to revitalize almost 1,500 acres within the city. Over the past 20+ years, the City's FOCUS 2000 redevelopment plan progressed from a general citywide planning tool to a design and implementation phase initiative. Since 2016, the entire FOCUS 2000 plan has been updated (now FOCUS 2020) to reflect current market conditions, a new vision for the City, and compliance with today's standards for planning and development. The plan, adopted in 2018, will assist PARA in smart, attractive, sustainable development.

The Redevelopment Area is divided into three sub-areas, as described below:

1. [Area 1 – The Gateway]: This area is predominantly a retail, commercial and light industrial expansion district. The Gateway is comprised of approximately 448 of the City’s 3,031 total acres. Located at the south and southwest area of the City, the majority of this area has historically been industrial in use.

2. [Area 2 – The Waterfront]: This area is well-suited for growth through predominantly mixed-use, residential projects given its strategic position on the water, its historic resources, and well-defined street grid. The Waterfront is located along the Arthur Kill waterfront on the eastern boundary of the City and generally south of the Outerbridge Crossing, comprising approximately 256 of the City’s 3,031 total acres.

3. [Area 3 – Northern Industrial]: This area is predominantly used for industrial, warehousing and distribution purposes and well-suited to provide new employment opportunities within the City. Northern Industrial includes approximately 12% of the City’s total area and makes up approximately 40% of the total redevelopment areas. The properties included in Area 3 are located north of Route 440.