The New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association proudly recognizes the 2025 Planning Excellence and Great Places in New Jersey honorees. These individuals, plans, projects, and places exemplify the power of thoughtful planning to strengthen communities across the state.

Awards Celebration

APA New Jersey hosted its annual Awards Reception on Tuesday, December 16, at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, bringing together a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including planners, elected officials, community leaders, development partners, and allied professionals. The evening provided an opportunity for participants from diverse fields to connect, exchange ideas, and reflect on the shared work of shaping communities.

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

Distinguished Leadership

Eric Fang
Budd Chavooshian Award for Outstanding Professional Planner

Tara Paxton
President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement

Julia Somers
Distinguished Civic Leadership Award

Charvi Gupta
Distinguished Emerging Planner Award

Outstanding Plans & Projects

Route 9 TOD Plan
Oustanding Plan Award

The Crossings at Brick Church
Outstanding Project Award

Greening Camden
Outstanding Community Engagement Award

Great Places in New Jersey Designees

Downtown Metuchen
2025 Great Downtown Designee

South Mountain Reservation
2025 Great Public Space Designee

Eric C.Y. Fang, AIA, AICP, LEED AP

With more than three decades of experience in resilience planning, transit-oriented development, and smart growth, Eric Fang has demonstrated a sustained commitment to professional excellence, collaboration, and mentorship. As Principal at Perkins Eastman and leader of the firm’s Planning and Urban Design practice, he has played a key leadership role in guiding multidisciplinary teams on transformative redevelopment and urban design projects for public agencies, private developers, and institutions across New Jersey and beyond.

Through his leadership role in transit-oriented development, Eric has helped shape statewide best practices. Under NJ Transit’s Transit Friendly Planning Program, he directed vision plans for more than twenty municipalities, including the award-winning Perth Amboy Transit District Strategy and the Route 9 Transit-Oriented Development Plan, which outlined a 21-mile corridor linking Middlesex and Monmouth Counties.

Eric’s contributions to resilience planning have strengthened coastal communities across the region. His leadership in the Hoboken Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan and NJ FRAMES (Fostering Regional Adaptation through Municipal Economic Scenarios) established models for climate adaptation and collaborative regional planning. His guidance on the Atlantic County Coastal Region Resilience and Adaptation Plan earned NJDEP’s inaugural Innovation Award.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Eric teaches at NYU and Rutgers and serves on the Village of Tuckahoe Planning Board. His leadership, collaborative approach, and enduring commitment to advancing equitable, sustainable communities embody the ideals of the Budd Chavooshian Award for Outstanding Professional Planner.

Tara B. Paxton, MPA, AICP, PP

Tara B. Paxton has devoted nearly three decades to public service, earning widespread respect as one of New Jersey’s most accomplished and community-minded planners. As Director of the Division of Land Use & Planning and Community Development for Brick Township, Tara oversees a broad range of municipal initiatives including redevelopment, affordable housing, grant administration, and environmental preservation. Her leadership has helped make Brick a state and national model for coastal resiliency, sustainability, and thoughtful land use.

Among her many achievements, Tara authored the Redevelopment Plan for the Brick Landfill—transforming a 40-acre Superfund site into a $40-million solar energy project recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “ReUse Award.” She also guided the redevelopment of Trader’s Cove Park and Marina, highlighted in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s America’s Great Outdoors Fifty State Report, and led multi-park initiatives honored by the NJ Recreation & Parks Association for design excellence.

Following Superstorm Sandy, Tara’s steady leadership was instrumental in coordinating recovery efforts, securing FEMA reimbursements, and achieving a FEMA Community Rating System Class 6 designation that reduced flood insurance premiums for local residents.

A dedicated mentor and educator, Tara teaches planning, sustainability, and ethics at Rowan and Kean Universities, inspiring future planners through real-world case studies and practical insight. She also contributes her expertise through APA Planning Assistance Teams and community sustainability efforts.

Tara Paxton’s career reflects the highest ideals of the planning profession—integrity, service, and a steadfast commitment to improving lives through thoughtful, inclusive, and enduring community planning.

Julia Somers

For more than three decades, Julia Somers has exemplified civic leadership, environmental stewardship, and an unwavering commitment to sound planning across New Jersey. As the Founding Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, she has led the organization with extraordinary vision and dedication since 2006, transforming it from a modest alliance of 25 groups into a dynamic coalition of more than 120 partners united in protecting the Highlands’ natural and cultural treasures.

Under Julia’s leadership, the Coalition’s â€śYour Water, Your Future” initiative has brought statewide recognition to the Highlands’ vital role in providing clean drinking water to over 70 percent of New Jersey’s residents, strengthening climate resilience, and supporting sustainable local economies.

A protĂ©gĂ© of the late Candy Ashmun, Julia’s distinguished career includes founding the Great Swamp Watershed Association, serving as Chair of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and contributing her expertise as a member of the New Jersey State Planning Commission. Her lifelong advocacy has advanced policies rooted in smart growth, resource protection, and collaboration among government, citizens, and the planning profession.

Through her leadership, the Highlands Coalition has awarded more than $500,000 in grants to grassroots organizations safeguarding the region’s water and landscapes—a remarkable accomplishment for a small nonprofit. Julia Somers stands as a true champion of New Jersey’s environment and a shining example of how civic vision, planning, and persistence can preserve the Garden State for generations to come.

Charvi Gupta

Charvi Gupta represents a new generation of planners who lead with purpose, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion. Throughout her career, she has championed diversity and multicultural awareness while advancing the integration of technology, sustainability, and social impact in transportation planning.

As lead for the Community Transportation Electrification Planning and Pilot Program, Charvi has guided a groundbreaking statewide initiative advancing NJ TRANSIT’s transition to a zero-emission fleet—encompassing more than 2,200 vehicles across 89 agencies. Under her leadership, the program prioritized community engagement, workforce development, and equitable technology adoption, serving as a catalyst for systemic change toward sustainable and inclusive mobility.

Charvi’s collaborative approach unites agency officials, technical specialists, and community representatives around shared goals, while her emphasis on mentorship and gender equity has cultivated a diverse, cross-disciplinary project team—nearly half of whom are women. She continues to inspire emerging professionals through the Clean Community Transportation Taskforce, fostering peer learning and local leadership to sustain long-term change.

Beyond New Jersey, Charvi’s work at WSP and Uber has shaped global conversations on electric mobility, multimodal integration, and equitable access. She has authored influential white papers on microtransit, zero-emission bus transitions, and the future of shared mobility.

Charvi’s dedication extends across borders, as she establishes an initiative in India empowering girls from marginalized backgrounds to pursue STEM education. Her leadership exemplifies how empathy, innovation, and inclusion can redefine the future of planning—one community at a time.

Route 9 TOD Plan

Project Partners: NJ TRANSIT | Perkins Eastman | FHI Studio, now IMEG | Mercer Planning Associates | RES Group

The Route 9 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Plan represents a transformative vision for one of New Jersey’s most important commuter corridors. Spanning 21 miles between Old Bridge in Middlesex County and Howell Township in Monmouth County, Route 9 carries some of NJ TRANSIT’s highest-volume bus routes—yet historically has been characterized by auto-oriented development and underutilized land. Funded through a Federal Transit Administration grant and developed by NJ TRANSIT’s Transit Friendly Planning Program, the Plan reimagines this “sleeping giant” as a corridor of connected, walkable, and transit-supportive communities.

Grounded in extensive data analysis and public engagement—including virtual open houses, surveys, and stakeholder workshops—the Plan provides a flexible, incremental framework for transforming underperforming shopping centers, park-and-ride lots, and single-use developments into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods. It offers a strategic toolkit tailored to 17 station areas, recommending transit-oriented infill, adaptive reuse, accessory dwelling units, and pedestrian connectivity improvements to enhance access to transit and reduce combined housing and transportation costs.

The Plan’s vision is guided by five implementation tracks—improved bus service, access to transit, transit-friendly land use and zoning, partnerships, and consensus-driven vision—allowing municipalities, counties, and agencies to advance progress collaboratively and incrementally. By integrating land use, transportation, and housing strategies, the Route 9 TOD Plan positions the corridor for future bus rapid transit, smart growth, and equitable development, offering a statewide model for how established suburban corridors can evolve into sustainable, inclusive, and transit-ready communities.

The Crossings at Brick Church Station

Project Partners: City of East Orange | Incline Capital | Triangle Equities | McManimon, Scotland & Baumann | NW Financial | NJEDA | PNC Bank | Goldman Sachs | Basis Investment Group | Minno & Wasko | Bohler Engineering | Sills Cummis & Gross | 1868 Public Affairs | Mercury | THA Consulting

The Crossings at Brick Church Station represents one of the most ambitious and transformative redevelopment projects in East Orange’s history. Building on decades of local planning and the City’s Transit Village District Redevelopment Plan, The Crossings brings to life a long-held vision to create a vibrant, inclusive, and transit-oriented community centered around the Brick Church Train Station. Co-developed by Incline Capital and Triangle Equities, this mixed-use project reimagines a former strip mall and underutilized commercial site into a dynamic destination that combines housing, retail, and public spaces in the heart of the city.

Once complete, the project will deliver 820 new residential units—including 167 affordable homes—along with approximately 200,000 square feet of retail and commercial space anchored by a new ShopRite supermarket. The development integrates a mix of unit types to serve diverse incomes and family sizes, advancing East Orange’s goal of promoting social and economic diversity near transit. A new pedestrian promenade, outdoor dining, and thoughtfully designed public and private open spaces will enhance the public realm and strengthen connections between Main Street and the train station.

Implementation has already seen major milestones, including the completion of a seven-story parking structure and the launch of Phase I construction. Supported by NJEDA’s ASPIRE tax credit program, The Crossings at Brick Church Station stands as a model for equitable, transit-supportive redevelopment—revitalizing East Orange’s downtown, catalyzing future investment, and reaffirming the city’s role as a hub of smart growth and opportunity.

Greening Camden: Educating, Empowering, and Enriching Communities for Climate Action and Cleaner Air

Project Partners: Rowan University Department of Geography, Planning & Sustainability, Camden Community Partnership | New Jersey Tree Foundation | Center for Environmental Transformation | Neighborhood Collaborative Community Gardens | Social Responsibility Through Me | Cooper Medical School

Greening Camden: Educating, Empowering, and Enriching Communities for Climate Action and Cleaner Air is a transformative initiative that redefines environmental planning as a community learning process—one that educates, empowers, and unites residents to co-create a healthier, more sustainable city. Supported by the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Education Program and the TD Bank–sponsored Green Jobs Academy, the project bridges urban planning, environmental science, and civic engagement to address air quality, climate resilience, and environmental justice across Camden City.

Through a blend of education, visualization, and hands-on action, Greening Camden transforms residents into partners in planning. Its seven-stage learning framework—awareness, knowledge, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making, action, and stewardship—guides participants through how planners analyze, prioritize, and implement environmental solutions. From K–12 students and teachers to university classes and neighborhood leaders, hundreds have taken part in workshops, citizen-science air monitoring, and community greening events that build environmental literacy and local capacity.

The project’s accessible online resources, including the Greening Camden Toolkit, interactive maps, and videos, make complex planning concepts understandable and actionable for non-experts. Real-world implementation has produced measurable outcomes—from community tree plantings and park cleanups to school-based learning and participatory data collection—demonstrating how education can lead directly to environmental improvement.

By embedding environmental education into planning practice and empowering residents as civic scientists and stewards, Greening Camden offers an inspiring model for how planners can advance climate action, equity, and community engagement simultaneously.

All materials and outcomes are available at planviz.org/greening-camden.

Downtown Metuchen

Borough of Metuchen | Metuchen Downtown Alliance

Once a quiet commuter suburb, Downtown Metuchen has undergone a remarkable transformation into one of New Jersey’s most vibrant, walkable, and inclusive downtowns. Guided by visionary planning, strategic redevelopment, and an extraordinary spirit of volunteerism, this 3-square-mile borough of 15,000 residents has become a model of small-town revitalization done right.

The renaissance began a decade ago with the redevelopment of a central surface parking lot into Woodmont Metro at Metuchen Station, a mixed-use, transit-oriented anchor featuring 500 luxury apartments, first-floor retail, a public plaza, and a 700-space parking structure. This redevelopment—just steps from the NJ Transit station—sparked renewed investment, attracting Whole Foods Market and a diverse mix of restaurants, boutiques, and experience-based businesses that now define Main Street’s vitality.

At the heart of this success is the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA)—a tenacious nonprofit powered largely by volunteers and one staff member—whose mission is to foster a welcoming, walkable, and art-filled downtown. Through storefront grants, murals, and hundreds of events celebrating local culture, music, and heritage, the MDA has built a downtown that is both a destination and a community hub.

Nationally recognized as the 2023 Great American Main Street Award winner and 2024 NJ Best Destination of the Year, Downtown Metuchen continues to thrive through partnerships, creativity, and civic pride. From family-friendly festivals to spontaneous pop-up celebrations, Metuchen embodies the joyful, human-scale spirit that makes great downtowns truly unforgettable.

South Mountain Reservation

County of Essex | South Mountain Conservancy

Spanning more than 2,000 acres across West Orange, Maplewood, Millburn, and bordering South Orange, Essex County’s South Mountain Reservation is one of New Jersey’s most treasured natural landscapes and a shared public space that unites communities across the region. Designed in part by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture, the Reservation embodies his enduring belief in nature’s power to heal, inspire, and connect people living in urban environments.

A “green island amid a sea of urbanization,” South Mountain Reservation offers visitors a remarkable balance between accessibility and wilderness—just six miles from downtown Newark. Its varied terrain of ridgelines, forested valleys, and streams invites exploration through miles of scenic hiking trails, including the beloved South Mountain Fairy Trail, where volunteers have built whimsical “fairy houses” that delight visitors of all ages. Iconic features such as Hemlock Falls, panoramic overlooks with sweeping New York City views, and an expansive dog park create spaces for recreation, reflection, and connection.

The South Mountain Recreation Complex, located within the Reservation, enhances the visitor experience with family-friendly amenities such as Turtle Back Zoo, the Richard J. Codey Arena, MiniGolf Safari, paddle boating on the Orange Reservoir, and the Regatta Playground—all seamlessly integrated with the natural surroundings.

Stewarded by the South Mountain Conservancy, this extraordinary landscape stands as both a refuge for nature and a civic commons for people. It strengthens regional identity, fosters volunteerism and stewardship, and offers generations a place to learn, play, and reconnect with the natural world.