Community Planning Assistance Program

Message from Tom Schulze, CPAP Coordinator

Welcome and thank you for your interest in APA-NJ’s Community Planning Assistance Program.   Our goal is to provide volunteer planning support to municipalities and community-based organizations in New Jersey.  

The types of issues that could be addressed in the program include; developing vision plans, housing needs assessment, environmental planning, site planning, local transportation plans or traffic circulation studies, parking strategies, transit oriented development and redevelopment conceptual plans, developing a planning process, guidance on neighborhood-based plans, economic development initiatives, and recreation needs.

We are entering the third year of the program and have successfully completed over a dozen community driven plans throughout New Jersey. You can see a brief description of these below.

If you have any questions or need more information, I encourage you to contact me.


 CPAP Projects & Updates

South Ward Children’s Alliance

posted on February 23rd, 2016 in CP Assistance Program

The New Jersey Chapter’s CPAP team was invited by the South Ward Children’s Alliance in Newark’s South Ward to support the creation of a community needs assessment that could be used in their efforts to improve public education in the South Ward. The Alliance has become increasingly aware that addressing problems in the community, such as housing, crime and recreation, is a critical part of improving the South Ward’s public schools. The CPAP was asked to support their efforts to identify social issues in the surrounding neighborhoods and how they should be prioritized.

West Side Neighborhood in Newark

posted on February 23rd, 2016 in CP Assistance Program

Planner volunteers worked with the Tri-City People’s Corporation to develop a strategic plan for this struggling neighborhood in Newark’s Central Ward. The community has a long list of challenges, including high crime, significant poverty, troubled schools, inadequate housing, mortgage and tax foreclosures, and little or no strong community organization to steer the strategic plan. Positive aspects of the neighborhood are several organizations with long term commitments to the neighborhood, such as Tri-City Peoples Corporation, many houses of worship willing to support the effort, a beautiful county park at its center, West Side Park, and a growing commercial district along Springfield Avenue, where Home Depot, a movie theater, a newly opened Shop Rite and a several restaurants have opened.

South Ironbound Resiliency Action Plan (Newark)

posted on September 10th, 2015 in CP Assistance Program

The Ironbound Community Corporation invited the APA-NJ CPAP program to support their efforts to create a South Ironbound Resiliency Plan. The area includes residential, commercial, and industrial properties, and suffers from an array of issues that have been identified by the community.

Palisades Nature Preserve (North Bergen)

posted on June 10th, 2014 in CP Assistance Program

The Community Planning Assistance Program was invited by the Coalition to Preserve the Palisades, Inc. to develop a community vision plan for a 6.55 acre site that lies on the Palisades Cliffs, a line of steep cliffs formed about 200 million years ago. Part of the James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park, the site is owned by Hudson County, but is currently closed to visitors.

Vision Plan for the 22nd Street Hudson Bergen Light Rail Station Neighborhood (Bayonne)

posted on March 16th, 2014 in CP Assistance Program

A team of volunteers worked with the City’s Planning Department to create a stakeholder driven, broad brush vision plan for the 22nd Street Hudson Bergen Light Rail Transit Station (HBLRT) Neighborhood – one that provides general direction for the City’s upcoming area redevelopment plan. The goal of the City of Bayonne’s municipal government is to encourage more transit oriented developments in this neighborhood.

Community Planning Workshops

posted on March 10th, 2014 in CP Assistance Program

Chapter volunteers have conducted two Community Planning Workshops to introduce planners and Community based groups to the benefits of developing community-driven plan for their areas. The goal of the workshops is to make community based organizations more aware of how a plan can support their overall objectives and to introduce planners to the needs of this relatively untapped market for planning.