Bernardsville Open Space Plan Faces Review by Planners

Bernardsville Borough's Planner will review a new open space plan outlining potential acquisitions for the borough, the first update of the plan since 2002, to determine whether it is consistent with the overall Master Plan vision for the town, Planning Board members agreed on Thursday night.

The first step is to have Borough Planner David Zimmerman determine whether the plan, as presented, is in conflict with the Master Plan, and if the report should be adopted as part of the overall plan for the borough. 

A new version of the borough's Open Space Plan was just completed at the end of June. The plan catalogs the approximately 745 acres of publicly owned open space in Bernardsville and also suggests the acquisition of additional land to connect trails and expand such holdings as the Mine Brook Greenway, according to the plan, which is posted online.

Planning Board member Terry Thompson said the board should try to meet a Sept. 13 deadline for adopting an open space plan for the state's Sustainable Jersey program. The Sustainable Jersey program rewards municipalities for being environmentally conscious and energy saving.

Open Space Committee Member Charlotte Foster said that an approved open space plan for the borough would provide "solid" points in getting the borough recertified under the Sustainable Jersey Program.

Thompson also suggested that perhaps the board could say the plan is being reviewed as of August, when some board members will not be available, and ask for permission for an extension of time.

"I'm fine with that," Foster said. She said she knows the Planning Board wants to do a thorough review of the open space plan.

"The new open space plan is very good," she added.

Among other suggestions, the updated open space plan, says, "A new public park along the Mine Brook could be designed in a way that would help mitigate the flooding risk and connect downtown Bernardsville with several existing and potential open space properties."

"This would require a large amount of vision and reimagining a portion of the downtown," the report says. Open space surrounding the Borough Hall at 166 Mine Brook Road present some possibilities for expanding and adding to trails, the plan suggests.

The borough's open space trust fund, fed by a 2-cent open space tax on local property tax bills, has about $5.5 million built up over several years, according to figures discussed at Borough Council meetings. The council is considering placing a question on this November's ballot asking whether voters would approve $1.2 million of that amount to be used for placing a turf field over an existing grass field at the municipally owned Upper Polo property off Seney Drive.

As an alternative, the Borough Council also has introduced a bond ordinance that would allow the town to borrow funds to build the turf field. Both the bond ordinance and a final vote on whether to place the referendum on the November ballot are scheduled to again come before the council on Aug. 12.