Somerset County Presents “Excellence in Planning” Award to FHI Studio Team
January 26, 2022

We are honored to share that Somerset County, NJ has recognized the FHI Studio project team, supported by sub-consultant Phillips Preiss, with the “Excellence in Planning” award for their work on the development of a community-driven 10-year economic, land-use, and multi-modal vision for Downtown Raritan.

This project was initiated under the NJTPA Planning for Emerging Centers Program, whose goal is to advance sustainable transportation and land use planning at the local level that benefits northern New Jersey’s economy, environment, and quality of life.

Recommendations from the plan included activating the riverfront, building a pedestrian street that links the main commercial street to the river, and encouraging transit-supportive missing-middle housing. The community-driven plan was the outgrowth of extensive virtual engagement, including a custom-built online workshop that allowed participants to share their visions for the downtown, virtual visual preference surveys, asset mapping, and change analysis, among other activities. Highly-active workshop participants were invited to join the mayor, elected officials, and Borough staff in a Plan Implementation Working Group. The group studied other downtown organizations, identified the right structure for Raritan, and assumed responsibility for implementing the plan’s recommendations.

FHI Studio also provided detailed hybrid form-based zoning ordinances. These recommendations focused on permitting more intensive residential development, particularly in 2- to 4-unit buildings, that would contribute to the character of the neighborhoods while allowing for the increased density needed to support a vibrant and sustainable commercial district.

Visit the project website for more information: www.downtownraritan.com.

Project Team