Panel weighs strategies for revitalizing Route 36 BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer DAN NEWMAN staff While this stretch of Route 36 in Hazlet is considered underutilized, plans are being made to revitalize the entire corridor from Aberdeen to Atlantic Highlands. HAZLET — At the rate Monmouth County has been developed in recent years, it’s conceivable to think that there may be nothing left to build upon in the future. Main arteries such as Route 9 from Howell to Matawan and Route 35 from Middletown to Matawan have gone from open farmland to sprawling shopping plazas, replete with major housing developments nearby. One area that has stayed much the same over recent years is Route 36, stretching from Keyport to the Highlands. It’s evident that, compared to the rest of the Bayshore region, this corridor is in need of a face lift, according to Peter Liebowitz. “For a while now, Route 36 has been in need of some revitalization, and now is the time to try and get that done,” said Liebowitz, senior vice president of AKRF, an environmental, planning and engineering consulting firm. Since May of last year, municipal representatives, stakeholder groups and members of the public have met to establish planning goals and visions. From these meetings, the Monmouth County Planning Board and AKRF created a series of strategies relating to waterfront and open-space development, economic development, housing and transportation. Thursday’s open meeting of the Bayshore Regional Collaborative was intended to help determine which strategies are necessary in achieving the aforementioned goals. “Our firm has been charged with the responsibility of, not only finding new ways to build up the Route 36 area, but to also reinvigorate what is already there,” Liebowitz said. “We responded to a request from the county because they realized that it was time to revitalize that area.” By the time everything is said and done, the hope is that Route 36 will have grown as much as the rest of the county has. “The Planning Board has reached out to local municipalities throughout the process to get their input into the study,” said Joseph Rettagliata, the board’s chairman. “The end result will be a plan that reflects a grassroots effort to help municipalities with their own planning initiatives, while at the same time address problems that affect the entire Bayshore region.” Liebowitz noted that this effort was not the first by the Monmouth County Planning Board for waterfront planning. In 1987 and 1993, continuous access for bikes and pedestrians, boardwalks, and regional park and preservation areas were looked at for the Route 36 area. “The area also has a need for beach maintenance and cleanup, as well as ideas for redevelopment of vacant and underutilized lands,” Liebowitz said. “We also need to find a way to improve highway configuration and look for alternative traffic solutions.” One of the biggest tasks involved in the entire process will be to find a way to improve traffic flow in the area where routes 35 and 36 and the Garden State Parkway intersect in Keyport. “That traffic patch is something that definitely needs to be looked at,” Liebowitz said. “The volume of cars over there has to be reduced somehow.” While many of the ideas may take a long time to implement, there are some things that can be done sooner than later. “Things like marketing and advertising can be done almost immediately,” Liebowitz said. “It’s always a good idea to let the community know what is going on, and so things like brochures and even fundraisers could be a good idea. Local industry support is another way of going about things early on. The municipalities involved can get behind this thing and support it. That would help greatly in getting the word out.” Liebowitz also said that business representatives, chambers of commerce and business improvement districts should get involved in the process. “What’s going to be very important in this whole thing also is getting the state to listen to Monmouth County,” Liebowitz said. “With the proper leadership intact, things can get done. But everybody has to be on board.”