Aschenbach: New Plan for North, South Avenues

Editor's note: This piece was written by Daniel Aschenbach, Commissioner of Public Affairs. It has not been edited. If you'd like to submit a letter to the editor, email whitney@patch.com.

North and South Avenue are major roadways that run through the community, yet outside of the downtown efforts, the township has not done much to ensure visitors get a nice view of the community. At North Avenue entrance by the parkway faded windows of a manufacturing facility greet residents while at the other end, a site of a former gas station, the owners are permitted to have foot high grass in the summer and scattered wood and broken sidewalks.  The new 2009 master plan proclaims that we should have a gateway plan yet that same message was in the prior master plan ten years ago. I walked the length of both roadways and here is a plan for the township to implement. Public and private efforts are important to ensure Cranford remains a strong well-maintained community:

(1) North Avenue and Lincoln: I believe time is up for the Town Bank—years of poorly maintaining the  property and no end in sight. The Township should purchase it with state DOT and Union County open space funds for a bus commuter lot and a small park with a sign that welcomes visitors to Cranford.  Cranford should also bring litigation against BP Oil for the pollution caused to this property that has poorly graced the community for 25 years.

(2) EF Britton, a well-respected and long time firm, should be encouraged with private-federal energy efficiency funding to upgrade windows and also to participate in the streetscape program. 

(3) As you enter Cranford, the broken and faded windows of Madan Plastics makes Cranford look like an aging suburb of Detroit. The township should encourage a window replacement program with stimulus energy efficiency funding providing the firm savings. 

(4) The Township should put on the top of its agenda the sale of the township-owned Mosquito property. Little has taken place on this project over the past three years and more should be done to upgrade the property. 

(5) The median at North and Centennial is a broken receptacle for cigarette butts. Adjacent property owners could take ownership and have a nice flower garden maintained by their hired  landscapers.

(6) A landscape architect should be hired by the county and state to assist Cranford in a project that opens up the area around the bridges on North and South Avenue as you enter the downtown so visitors and residents can see the river.  It may be that only major pruning is needed but possibly footpaths could be added.  There is an attractive quality to the natural setting of the river the township was settled around. While it doesn't make the flooding more bearable, the river views are a positive.

(8) The Township Committee should re-establish the North Avenue Redevelopment Zone—there is over 6,000 square feet of vacant space, old worn-out buildings and no private investment. The Township needs to set a direction that meets parking and building standard requirements.

(7) An ordinance should be adopted that requires/encourages  gas stations to have landscaping plans updated. The Sunoco at Elizabeth Avenue could compensate for the vacant site across the street. 

There were other items including North Avenue resurfacing and other property maintenance issues. We are moving out of a deep Recession and Cranford needs to encourage investment and upgrade of the most heavily traveled road in the community.