GLASSBORO GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN

JOHN E. WALLACE III: Mayor of the Borough of Glassboro, New Jersey

Over the past several years the Borough of Glassboro has experienced dramatic growth in our community and our downtown has been transformed into a vibrant destination point. As a result of these factors, the Borough Council felt it prudent to commission Professional Planners to assist us in developing a plan to shape the future of our Borough. As a result, I am presenting our anticipated Glassboro Growth Management Plan.

The Administration has been working with PennPraxis, a non-profit “clinical” area of the School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania, to collect data to accurately understand the trends shaping growth and development within the Borough. Based upon community feedback, the overarching goals of the Glassboro Growth Management Plan are coordinated development, quality residential neighborhoods, economic opportunities, and community identity.

The first step of developing the Glassboro Growth Management Plan was understanding stakeholders’ current views of the Borough, and how they envision its future evolution. The PennPraxis team conducted interviews, held multiple visioning sessions, and circulated an online survey that reached more than 800 local stakeholders, including students, staff, faculty, and alumnae of Rowan University. More than 70% of survey respondents were Glassboro residents.

Community members value Glassboro’s historic character and animated civic spaces but see strengthened residential neighborhoods, investments in public schools, and diversification of entertainment options as opportunities for community improvement. Traffic congestion was the highest concern among stakeholders, who see more robust transit options—including improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure—as key to the Borough’s future success.

The information gathered from the community engagement was used to develop the Glassboro Growth Management Plan to be used as one of the tools that the Borough will use to guide strategy and policy recommendations for Glassboro in the future.

In coordination with Borough Council, I am excited to share this Glassboro Growth Management Plan with the Glassboro community. You can stay in touch with the planning process by following Glassboro Borough on social media and through our website.