Have A Need? NJBAC Can Help.

The NJBAC is offering no-cost technical assistance, training, and problem-solving – we are here to support all of your Business Enhancement needs. Whether you have a one-off resource question, are looking for a strategic assessment of a district, or could use some quick visualized tactical inspiration to foster visible and tangible change, NJBAC can help. Contact NJBAC Assistant Director Jef Buehler to start the conversation and move towards action.

Today’s email has information on assistance we can provide, as well as about technical and financial resources that may be a fit for your community or district.

Best Practices

Bike Lanes Reduce Vehicle Speeds:  And slower speeds mean greater safety as well as fostering a more pedestrian-friendly environment in our downtowns. A 2022 Rutgers University study in Asbury Park sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation in collaboration with the FHWA showed that protected bicycle lanes were associated with a 20 to 30 percent reduction in traffic speeds. Interested in the topic? Rutgers is hosting a free Micromobility Workshop on Friday, March 22, 2024 at the Bloustein School, in New Brunswick, NJ.

Free Tools for Temporary Roadway Projects:  Looking to implement bikes lanes (see above!), enhance crosswalks, try curb extensions and parklets, or make other short-term pilot changes to your district’s streets and intersections?  If so, check out the NJTPA’s Complete Streets Demonstration Library, which is free and available for statewide use. They assembled a collection of delineator posts, barricades, traffic signs, paints, stencils, barriers, traffic cones, and other materials available for loan to communities who want to implement a temporary demonstration. To take advantage of these free resources, you’ll need to coordinate with you regional Transportation Management Association (TMA) – see this TMA map for details.

Featured Grants & Support

Safe Streets For All: Over $3 billion is still available for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Federal discretionary program which funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Municipalities and Counties (either individually or jointly) may apply for these grants which can cover the costs of: Developing or enhancing a comprehensive safety action plan; Carrying out demonstration activities to inform an action plan; Performing planning, design, and then implementing projects and strategies identified in an action plan. The grant RFP is here, and grant guidance webinars start on March 7^th here.  Tips by Smart Growth America on how to best take advantage of these grants are here.

Grant Award Notice:  Main Street Fair Lawn, leveraging its NJBAC Business Enhancement Special Assessment from summer 2023, was selected for inaugural Federal Economic Transformation Program as part of the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Recovery Corps (ERC.) From over 500 host applications, 65 host organizations were selected.

The ERC Program matched Fair Lawn with a dedicated Fellow, fully funded at nearly $300,000, for 2.5 years, to work towards advancing a project critical to the economic recovery of the local host community, in this case preparing the Broadway District there for revitalization.  Congratulations to Main Street Fair Lawn!

NJBAC Can Work With All the Businesses in Your Community

We are here for your communities’ and districts’ businesses. NJBAC offers free online chat and telephone (800-537-7397) assistance in English and Spanish to any business in NJ – any size, any location, and any type. Our team can advocate for businesses, concierge them to funding and technical solutions, help them find locations for growth or developing export markets, guide them to navigating the commercial cannabis sector, and much more. Want to set something up online or on-site for your businesses? Reach out to NJBAC Assistant Director Jef Buehler to get plugged in to all of our business success services.