Ted Forst

The Township of Ewing's Housing Element and Fair Share Plan for 2025-2045 details its strategy for meeting affordable housing obligations. The plan addresses present, prior, third, and fourth round housing requirements, outlining compliance with state laws and administrative directives. Key components include an inventory of housing stock, demographic analysis, site suitability for affordable housing, rehabilitation programs, and the implementation of inclusionary zoning. It also covers administrative aspects such as affirmative marketing, development fee ordinances, and spending plans, aiming to ensure accessible and well-planned affordable housing within Mercer County.

Ewing Township's Open Space and Recreation Plan serves as a blueprint for the future of its parks and recreation system, integrating with the Township Master Plan. It focuses on creating an integrated and diverse open space system to protect natural areas and provide recreation for all residents, addressing sustainability, land use, circulation, historic preservation, public health, and economic development. Key objectives include identifying lands for recreation and conservation, enhancing greenways and natural corridors, improving bicycle and pedestrian connectivity, facilitating improvements of existing parks and facilities, and fostering public and private partnerships. The ultimate goal is to deliver an adequate supply of park and recreation facilities connected to schools, public transit, and neighborhoods, guided by community input, standards, and population projections, and will include detailed mini-master plans for each park.

This Conservation Element of the Master Plan for Ewing Township aims to identify and protect the community's natural resources, integrating sustainable development practices and environmental protection ethics. It focuses on informing the community about sustainability, protecting critical environmental resources such as wetlands, stream corridors, steep slopes, trees, and habitats, and establishing an interconnected open space and greenway system. The plan seeks to preserve, conserve, and utilize resources to enhance the township's quality of life and economic vitality.

This 10-year stewardship plan focuses on improving the ecological health of natural areas at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) campus and three Ewing public parks: Hollow Brook Park, Temple Park, and John Watson Park. The plan aims to protect biodiversity, provide recreational and educational opportunities, define conservation values, mitigate threats, and guide adaptive stewardship. Key recommendations include conducting effective white-tailed deer management, strategic invasive species control, restoring and protecting forest, meadow, and riparian/wildlife corridors, and encouraging community land stewardship, research, and exploration. The plan emphasizes community engagement and active participation in the natural world.

The strategic plan is designed to guide the Ewing Green Team (EGT) toward Sustainable Jersey certification and to achieve that certification through actions that reflect the priorities of the community. It focuses on building organizational capacity, creating a strategic plan with actions coordinated with Sustainable Jersey, identifying community values, increasing community engagement, and developing realistic goals for the Sustainable Ewing Green Team. The plan includes actions related to community engagement, waste reduction, preservation/conservation, community development, branding, economic development, and energy efficiency.