Hillsborough Township, New Jersey

HI LLSBOROUGH TOWNSHI P , NEW JERSEY areas for residential above commercial, or done Complete Street programs, widening sidewalks, etc., have something transit-related going for them already – either being on major bus lines or with rail lines. We don’t have either one of those; we only have the 206 corridor. Back in 2003, when our planning board did the master plan for the first time, they realized we were lacking that downtown. So, that’s what kicked everything off. Now with the 206 bypass being completed, and a state of New Jersey mandate to provide affordable housing, we have a unique opportunity to build a downtown where there wasn’t one.” On the sustainability front, by pushing building to the downtown corridor along 206 and Amwell, it allows the Townships to protect land outside of that area. At 55 square miles, Hillsborough is a large municipality, and over 35 percent of that property is off limits to developers, thanks to some major purchases the town has made to ensure they can keep it green for generations to come, and from making sure farmers preserve their land, and a whole host of partnerships with the County and private individuals that purchase land and want to make certain it stays as it is forever without losing that green nature. When Mayor DelCore was first elected, he created a “Red Tape Commission” to identify areas that made it difficult for businesses to come to Hillsborough. And they’ve been building on that every year, trying to identify why a business would choose the next town over and how they can compete. “One of our initiatives is Restaurant Week,” says Tomson. “It’s to encourage people to visit our restaurants in town. We have 35 restaurants signed up to participate this year. We’ve also got the property tax rebate card that encourages businesses to sign up through the Township. And if residents use their business, those residents get money back off their property taxes. So, any way we can help them out and let them know Hillsborough is a great place to live and work.” The Township works closely with the Hillsborough Business Association and David Kois, Hillsborough’s Business Advocate/Sustainability