Smart growth planning may be getting a new foothold in central New Jersey after Somerset County officials last week invited the public to a "kick-off meeting" for the county’s new transit oriented development study.

The Somerset County Board of Freeholders and Planning Board have been working in conjunction with the professional planning group, Wallace Roberts and Todd L.L.C, to find vacant or under-utilized parcels of land to create new, mixed use development that is centered around transit stops and stations. The intent is to create new development with low car-dependency, encouraging walking, cycling, and transit travel.

At the meeting, officials and the planning group provided the public with an overview of the plan, and sought feedback on the prospective sites for the project. The study is set to review ten different areas throughout Somerset, and eventually narrow the list to three finalist sites. An in-depth study will be conducted on the selected areas to determine where to launch an initial transit oriented development project. The work will involve challenging local officials to part with suburban zoning-as-usual.