SETTING THE AGENDA FOR FUTURE GROWTH AND PRESERVATION

Adding to their Master Plan, the Borough of Leonia chose H2M to prepare a new element to their master plan. A Green Building and Environmental Sustainability Plan Element would help Leonia guide land-use decisions and provide a basis for ordinance addressing sustainability and land use issues. Addressing topics such as energy efficiency, protection of open space, and promotion of healthy lifestyles, the plan fully complied with New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) and qualified for Sustainable Jersey certification. Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term.

As part of the public outreach component, surveys were administered at a community Health Fair and H2M facilitated a well-attended Community Visioning Workshop. The Sustainability Plan incorporated resident ideas and established measurable, attainable objectives in the areas of improved energy efficiency, green building design, walkability, and water conservation. The completed Plan Element sets Leonia’s “sustainability agenda” towards achieving environmental, social and economic sustainability objectives.