Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Have A Business 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. Please feel free to share this information with other officials, district management stakeholders, and businesses. To see all prior Business Enhancement Connection emails, click here!

Best Practices

Parking Management – Jump Start Guide: No, it’s not from NJ, but Oregon’s land-use planning agency has released a fantastic new tool called the Parking Management Jump Start Guide, designed to help communities take their first steps —or their next steps— towards better on-street parking management. Whether a city is considering simple signage changes, permit programs, parking meters, benefit districts, or even adopting the latest parking technologies, this guide offers practical advice and actionable strategies at all levels for municipal officials, district management entities, and stakeholders who just want to see parking managed for effectively, fairly, and efficiently. 10/10, no notes!

Elected Official? Become a Champion for Complete Streets:  The Champions Institute is a no-cost technical assistance and peer learning program by Smart Growth America designed to help local elected officials become effective champions for Complete Streets, downtown revitalization, and other local initiatives that increase opportunities for walking, biking, and rolling to everyday destinations. Selected participants from across the country will form a cohort of local leaders, attending six interactive virtual learning modules over three months beginning March 2025 on a variety of topics related to supporting activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations. If you are an elected official of a community of any size you can apply to join the 2025 group online here!

Featured Grants & Support

Community Change Grants for Walkability:   America Walks is launching their 2024 Community Change Grant program on December 16^th. Bookmark the grant program page if you wish to apply this year. The grants are small ($1,500) and are meant to create visible, tangible and impactful change, awarding them to 6 communities for projects related to creating healthy, active, and engaged places to live, work and play that enhances the pedestrian experience.  There are also an additional 15 grants funded by General Motors that will be available as well. District management entities, other non-profits, and units of local and county government may apply.

Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion – Feedback Opportunity: The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is seeking public input on rules for the new Cultural and Arts Facilities Expansion (CAFÉ) tax credit program, which is aimed at elevating arts and culture across the state, increasing the number of first-rate art and cultural experiences for residents and visitors. The CAFÉ program will award up to $75 million in tax credits to capital projects of at least $5 million. Feedback must be submitted in writing no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 20, 2024 and can be submitted online here. Listen and view the CAFÉ program listening session from late November here, and then have a say in what looks to be an incredible new funding source for arts and cultural projects in NJ.

NJBAC Can Work With All the Businesses in Your Community

We are here to support 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. Businesses can always download the NJBAC Small Business Manual – a one-stop tool for many business concerns – online here for english. A Spanish version of the manual is also available here for spanish. Individual businesses or organizations can order a printed copy as well by clicking this link. For bulk orders of up to 10 printed copies, please contact NJBAC’s Tracy Thomas directly.

Our NJBAC 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.

NJBAC’s Business Enhancement Services is online:  Now you can refer to Business Enhancement Services directly online with just a click!  Please favorite the website – it will be expanding over time as we add new resources and tools that support municipal and district revitalization and place-based business enhancement.