Good evening and Happy New Year! Thank you for joining us today as Raritan reorganizes for 2025. Like the previous year, 2024 was a year of change for the Borough of Raritan. We expanded the size of our committees to include more volunteers and residents, helping shape the future of our town by adding seats to the Historical & Cultural Committee and the Board of Health. I’d like to take a moment to thank all those who served Raritan last year on a Board, Commission, or Committee. These volunteers drive significant change and progress year after year for the benefit of the Borough and all its residents. We look forward to working alongside those who will continue in this capacity for 2025. May they have great success in all their endeavors.

At my request and with the council’s support, the town created a new Redevelopment Advisory Committee to make initial meetings with developers more public than past practices. No longer will redevelopment projects just appear on our meeting agenda. From start to finish, a public record will exist for each project. When initial discussions take place, residents can know which area of town is being reviewed, what the committee’s initial reaction is to a proposed project, and what changes can be made before any action by the governing body. This transparency began with all projects introduced in 2024 and will continue into 2025. While the committee serves solely in an advisory capacity, it remains the responsibility of the Borough council, the elected representatives, to ultimately make decisions on redevelopment within the Borough.

The Redevelopment Advisory Committee also assisted the Borough in advancing the stalled Downtown Sustainable Economic Development plan. In my address last year, this was outlined as a goal and priority for the Borough Council. Having received a $300,000 grant to complete the work in 2020 and 2021, I wanted to see the plan implemented so that taxpayer dollars do not just sit on a shelf. I am proud to say that the council authorized the committee and the planning board to begin the initial study to implement that plan. I look forward to adopting an ordinance to designate the full study area, from the river to the train station and from Route 206 to First Avenue, as an Area in Need of Rehabilitation. This designation will create a connection between our train station and one of our great assets, access to Duke Farms, and lead to more foot traffic downtown, allowing our small businesses to grow and thrive.

Read Full 2025 State of the Borough Address Here