One Main Street In NJ Has Been Picked For Federal Program, And It's In Bergen County

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Fair Lawn Main Street, a public-private partnership charged with strengthening the borough's economic vitality, has been selected for a federal economic recovery program run by the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Recovery Corps, announced a statewide organization recently.

As a result, a fellow will be matched with Fair Lawn Main Street in order to work on revitalizing the borough's Broadway Special Improvement District.

Authorized under the CARES Act and created through a $30 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), the ERC Fellowship was launched to address long-standing economic issues in America that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fair Lawn Main Street is among only 65 host organizations across the country that were chosen from more than 500
applications, and the only one in New Jersey.

The ERC Program has matched the host sites nationwide with a dedicated fellow, fully funded for 2.5 years, to work toward advancing a project critical to the economic recovery of the local host community.

Throughout 2023, specialists from the New Jersey Department of State’s Business Action Center toured Fair Lawn, met with local business and community leaders, and developed placemaking and revitalization plans for the Broadway Special Improvement District.

The plans were ultimately used in Fair Lawn Main Street Inc.’s successful application to have an ERC Fellow assigned to work on revitalizing the Broadway Special Improvement District.

The fellow at each selected host site will act as a catalyst to build, strengthen, and coordinate relationships and local efforts alongside their host community.

FairLawn’s ERC fellow's revitalization project for the Broadway Special Improvement District will entail district planning and design, beautification, customer attraction strategies, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery.

Created in 2023 by bringing together the Fair Lawn Economic Development Corporation, River Road Improvement Corporation, and Broadway Improvement Corporation, Fair Lawn Main Street Inc. is responsible for executing programs to enhance the local business climate and manage the special improvement districts within the Borough of Fair Lawn. Among these special improvement districts is the Broadway commercial corridor along NJ Route 4.

“It is a remarkable achievement for the Borough of Fair Lawn to represent the economic vitality of New Jersey on a national level,” said Wesley Mathews, President and CEO of Choose New Jersey. “Fair Lawn’s continued achievements as part of the inaugural cohort of the Federal Economic Transformation Project will serve as a great example of how strategic partnerships can promote transformative economic change.”

“This inaugural cohort of the Economic Recovery Corps has the potential to infuse new energy and new opportunities in regional economic development nationwide,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo.

“My administration and I would like to congratulate the Borough of Fair Lawn on this tremendous accomplishment. The fact that Fair Lawn is the sole New Jersey municipality to be chosen for this program underscores Bergen County’s unwavering role as the Economic Engine of New Jersey. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Borough of Fair Lawn as they revitalize their Broadway Special Improvement District and strengthen their economic and commercial vitality through this exciting resource,” said Bergen County Executive James Tedesco.

“We knew the best way to support our business community and facilitate the revitalization of the Broadway Special Improvement District would be through collaborations with partners like the Bergen County Division of Economic Development, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the New Jersey Business Action Center,” said Fair Lawn Councilmember Gail Rottenstrich.

"Fair Lawn's selection for the ERC program is deeply exciting for the 38th District, and our office looks forward to working with the Fellow and Fair Lawn Main Street Inc. to advance the revitalization of the Broadway Special Improvement District," said Assemblywoman Lisa Swain.

Officially starting in February 2024, all 65 Fellows will begin their two-and-a-half-year field placements with host organizations across the nation and start working on their assigned economic development projects.

“I’m proud to have helped pass the bipartisan legislation making this federal investment in Fair Lawn possible. By clawing more than $275,000 back to North Jersey from the federal government, we're able to support local businesses and lower taxes by reducing the cost burden on our local governments. It's a huge win-win for us all,” said 5th Dist. Rep. Josh Gottheimer. "If you need help applying for a grant, please do not hesitate to reach out to me."