Hillsborough Township Will Incorporate Age-Friendly Principles into Master Plan Update to Develop First-of-its-Kind Coordinated Implementation Plan

Hillsborough Township is taking a novel approach to incorporate age-friendly principles while conducting its master plan update. On May 14th, the Township Committee adopted a policy resolution supporting the incorporation of age-friendly design into all municipal plans. The Township is in the process of updating the master plan to articulate a vision for the future. As New Jersey’s population continues to shift to include a greater proportion of older adults, towns like Hillsborough that conscientiously plan for the needs of their aging residents are taking proactive steps to ensure people can comfortably age in place.

Concurrent with the master plan update, Hillsborough is working through the Sustainable Jersey Community Design for All Ages Action to develop an age-friendly implementation plan. Adopting a policy to promote age-friendly design with regard to municipal land-use decisions is a first step toward the development of the plan. This plan will identify improvements to make Hillsborough more livable for people as they age. The plan will include an age-friendly land use assessment and a community engagement component to evaluate the extent to which the community meets the needs of older adults. It will result in recommendations for housing, transportation, walkability, and other improvements to include as goals in the master plan.

“To continue serving our population of all ages and abilities, we need to take steps to ensure all people have appropriate living options and remain connected to services and public amenities that provide for a high quality of life. We will continue to prioritize our children and senior citizens as they deserve the best future and life. Most notably, the contributions of our senior community are a part of what makes Hillsborough the special place it is and we cannot lose that.” said Mayor Robert Britting, Jr.

The Hillsborough Township Planning Board and the Planning & Zoning Department are performing the update to the master plan and receiving free technical assistance from New Jersey Future to integrate the master plan update with the completion of the Community Design for Ages Action to earn up to 25 points in the Sustainable Jersey Program.

“Common age-friendly considerations include making crosswalks safe, providing reliable public transportation for people who can no longer drive, and ensuring that housing options are plentiful and affordable as people downsize while they age. By conducting our master plan update in tandem with an age-friendly implementation plan, our goal is to incorporate these important considerations into all of our planning and decision-making,” said Deputy Mayor John Ciccarelli who is a member of the Planning Board.

About Sustainable Hillsborough: The award-winning Sustainable Hillsborough Project was initiated by the Township Committee in 2006. Hillsborough Township was one of the first thirty-four‘ pioneer towns’ to enter into the Sustainable Jersey program in 2009. To date, Hillsborough Township has achieved twelve certifications, leading all towns in Somerset County, and is the second most certified town in all of New Jersey since the municipal certification program began in 2009. Hillsborough Township strives to save tax dollars, assure clean land, air, and water, and improve working and living environments as steps to building a sustainable community that will thrive well into the new century.

About Sustainable Jersey: Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training, and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Sustainable Jersey participants (municipalities and schools) have successfully implemented and documented over 23,467 sustainability actions. Sustainable Jersey participants (municipalities and schools) have successfully implemented and documented over 23,596 sustainability actions. Sustainable Jersey has provided over $7.4 million in grants to municipalities, school districts, and schools for community-based projects that create healthy and sustainable communities in New Jersey.

About New Jersey Future: Founded in 1987, New Jersey Future is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes sensible and equitable growth, redevelopment, and infrastructure investments to foster healthy, strong, resilient communities; protect natural lands and waterways; increase transportation choices beyond cars; provide access to safe, affordable, and aging-friendly neighborhoods; and fuel a strong economy for everyone. New Jersey Future does this through original research, innovative policy development, coalition-building, advocacy, and hands-on strategic assistance. Embracing differences and advancing fairness is central to New Jersey Future’s mission and operations. New Jersey Future is firmly committed to pursuing greater justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through its programs, internal operations, and external communications. ###