New Jersey Future Blog
A Tale of Two Upbringings and a Shared Vision For a Healthy Environment
May 21st, 2025 by New Jersey Future staff
By Jyoti Venketraman, director of collaborations and organizational equity, and Andrea Sapal, program manager
Our formative years and lived experiences are vastly different. One of us is a first-generation immigrant, and the other is a second-generation immigrant, both of whom call this state their home. We both bring distinctly different cultural lenses and identities, yet we have shared passions and values for creating a healthy environment for everyone in NJ.
Jyoti: My formative memories of water took shape in India, rooted in a few distinct experiences. One, the first monsoon rain, and the sense of joy it brought after the scorching summer heat. Two, the flooding from heavy monsoon rains, and how difficult it would be to get to anywhere. Lastly, being aware of an inconsistent water supply, which required a workaround of storage tanks on the roof of buildings or underground, so that water is collected and stored for later use. These past events inform and shape my work today on issues of affordable and reliable water supply, and ensuring there are solutions to prevent flooding in communities across NJ.
Andrea: “Did you hear? The land is no good. It’s polluted.” Growing up, I heard various versions of that statement from the adults around me concerning a plot of land in Jersey City across from my neighborhood, but I thought nothing of it. Later, I learned the site was formerly home to a chromium manufacturing facility, which dumped chromate waste into the river, contaminating the soil and drinking water. Recently, during a conference, I found myself looking at photos of the area I knew so well. The presenter, Captain Bill Sheehan of Hackensack Riverkeeper, launched the lawsuit to hold the polluters accountable for contamination of the river. His activism will positively impact kids like me, who grew up near contaminated water sites. My lived experiences shape how important I view my work today, being part of the solution that will benefit future generations of New Jerseyans.
We both believe that a healthy environment should not be the privilege of a few but a right for everyone! Our unique cultural lens enriches our collective work through the Sewage Free Streets and Rivers Campaign, which is focused on NJ’s combined sewer overflow towns.
More Home Choices for New Jersey: How Accessory Dwelling Units Can Help Solve Our Housing Shortage
May 15th, 2025 by Laurel Cooke
Laurel Cooke recently completed her MPA at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. Laurel served as the Spring 2025 Social Impact Fellow at New Jersey Future.
If you’ve tried finding a home in New Jersey recently, you already know: the rent is too high, buying a home feels impossible, and competition is fierce. Rentals disappear overnight and homebuyers face bidding wars that drive prices out of reach. Why is it so difficult to find an affordable place to live?
The simple truth is that there aren’t enough homes that match people’s budgets and needs. In New Jersey, a system of “home rule” gives each town wide control over zoning, which often results in restrictive local rules that block the kinds of housing people actually need. But what if one solution is hiding right in our backyards?
Accessory Dwelling Units: A Common-Sense Solution
Known as backyard cottages, garage apartments, or in-law suites, these Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are smaller homes built on the same property as an existing house. They offer affordable living for older adults seeking to downsize, young adults starting out, or essential workers who want to live close to their jobs and families. They are also environmentally friendly–using existing land and infrastructure–and they help neighborhoods evolve by adding diverse housing without drastic changes. Research from the AARP highlights additional motivations for building backyard apartments, such as caring for loved ones, earning rental income, increasing property value, and enhancing safety by having someone nearby.
Joiedevivre123321, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cities across America have embraced accessory or backyard apartments, successfully increasing the supply of more affordable housing without drastically altering neighborhoods. Here’s what happened when cities in other states simplified their zoning rules:
Boise, Idaho: 9x Increase in Accessory Dwelling Unit Permits
In December 2023, Boise reformed its zoning code by removing owner-occupancy and parking requirements for ADUs. In just the first few months, ADU permit applications skyrocketed from an average of 3 per month to 27 per month—a nearly ninefold increase. These small rule changes led to 95 ADU applications in just 3.5 months, showing how fast cities can unlock affordable homes by easing red tape.
Denver, Colorado: Opening 70% of the City to ADUs
In 2024, Denver expanded ADU zoning citywide, increasing coverage from 36% to 70% of residential lots. The city now expects 200–300 new ADUs annually, building on a base of 500 permitted over the last decade.
Fort Worth, Texas: Cutting Red Tape to Build Faster
Fort Worth streamlined its approval process, making ADU construction faster and simpler. Homeowners no longer faced complicated zoning approvals and costly parking mandates. The city saw an immediate increase in these types of affordable homes, giving families and local workers more housing options right where they needed them.
Portland, Oregon: Skyrocketing ADU construction
Cities like Portland saw ADU construction skyrocket from just 30 per year to nearly 400 per year after easing zoning rules, demonstrating how practical these changes can be.
Seattle, Washington: 52% Year-Over-Year Growth
After lifting owner-occupancy and parking mandates in 2019, Seattle saw 970 ADUs built in 2023 alone—a 52% increase over the prior year. In total, the city has permitted over 4,000 ADUs since 2020, proving that smart reform drives real results.
Addressing Common Concerns About ADUs
Some residents have understandable questions about accessory dwelling units. Here’s what the research and real-world experiences show:
“Won’t these add too much parking or traffic?”
Not likely. Studies show that households living in ADUs own less than one car on average—half the national household rate. Many ADU residents are seniors, caregivers, or essential workers who already live or work nearby. This keeps neighborhood impact minimal.
“Will these change the look and feel of our neighborhood?”
ADUs are typically built to blend in. Whether it’s a converted garage, basement apartment, or a cottage behind the main house, these homes are small, discreet, and designed to match existing homes—not change the character of the neighborhood.
“Are these just a backdoor for developers?”
No. In most communities, ADUs are built by homeowners, not large developers. They’re often used to house family members, friends, or local workers.
“Will it lower property values?”
In fact, ADUs can increase property value by adding flexibility, usable space, and potential rental income. For many homeowners, they provide a financial cushion while also contributing to the community’s housing needs.
“Will this strain schools or local infrastructure?”
ADUs create housing in a gentle, incremental way—usually just one small home per lot. They support modest growth, helping towns evolve without large-scale development or infrastructure strain.
Why New Jersey Should Embrace Accessory Dwelling Units: A Better Future for Our Neighborhoods
Brett VA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By welcoming accessory apartments—granny flats, garage apartments, or in-law suites—New Jersey can provide another tool to ensure affordable homes for everyone. These small, flexible homes help neighborhoods become more inclusive and vibrant while respecting the character residents cherish. Several municipalities in New Jersey have already taken proactive steps to include ADUs as part of their broader housing strategy:
- Princeton: In 2020, Princeton passed an ordinance allowing ADUs in residential zones. Since then, 38 ADUs have been built, providing more housing options while preserving neighborhood character.
- Maplewood: Adopted an ADU ordinance in 2020, permitting these units under specific conditions.
- Montclair: Implemented regulations allowing ADUs in designated residential zones, with specific requirements on size and occupancy.
- South Orange: In 2023, South Orange Village passed regulations permitting ADUs that meet certain conditions, expanding housing options for residents.
- Jersey City: The city has incorporated ADUs into its Master Plan, recognizing their potential to diversify housing options and alleviate shortages.
But instead of waiting for each municipality to take action, New Jersey can be bold. State-level reforms that would require other municipalities to adopt similar measures authorizing ADUs would expand affordable housing options on a larger scale, support multigenerational living, and enhance community resilience. Our state-level housing issues require comprehensive, state-level solutions. Let’s make room for this one solution already working well across America right here in New Jersey and welcome Accessory Dwelling Units into our neighborhoods.
Stubborn Seeds and Strong Foundations: What Armenian Resilience Teaches Us About Building Forward
April 22nd, 2025 by Benjamin Dziobek
Author Benjamin Dziobek, New Jersey Future community outreach specialist
April marks Armenian History Month, a time to honor the deep roots, resilience, and culture of the Armenian people. For many of us in the diaspora, especially here in New Jersey, this month reminds us to reflect on our ancestors’ strength and survival. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our contributions to this country and recommit to building a better future — one shaped by remembrance and justice.
From tight-knit communities in places like Ridgefield, Long Branch, and Tenafly to the quiet presence of Armenian names across public life, we’ve made our mark in this state. Being Armenian means carrying memory — not just of loss, but of perseverance. It means being rooted in culture, language, and tradition, even when so much was designed to strip it away. One line that’s stuck with me lately is the idea of a “stubborn seed” growing through cracks, against all odds, generation after generation. That’s what our families did when they arrived here. And that’s what so many immigrant communities continue to do in New Jersey.
That same resilience, the refusal to give up in the face of challenge, is what we need to face climate change today. Whether it’s flood-prone neighborhoods, aging water systems, or rising temperatures, our infrastructure and our communities are under pressure. But just like that stubborn seed, we have the power to grow through the cracks. The recently proposed Resilient Environment and Landscape rules proposed by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection are a good example of proactively pushing forward solutions that will make our communities and infrastructure more resilient to the increasing incidents of flooding. Climate and infrastructure resilience aren’t just buzzwords, they’re about ensuring every family, no matter their zip code, has access to clean water, safe streets, and a livable future. If we want to honor the legacy of those who came before us, we need to show up for the future of the places we call home. Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back — it’s about demanding better, and building systems that can withstand what’s next.
More Than Mailers: Keys to Effective Outreach and Communication for Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) in New Jersey Communities
April 1st, 2025 by New Jersey Future staff
By Deandrah Cameron, Policy Manager, and Ben Dziobek, Community Outreach Specialist
New Jersey Future’s Funding Navigator team has developed expertise in supporting water systems and municipal leaders in navigating the complexities of lead service line replacement (LSLR) funding, outreach, and communication. Meanwhile, the Jersey Water Works Lead Service Line Implementation Work Group and Lead-Free New Jersey address the technical and logistical aspects of LSLR. Effective communication and community outreach are critical aspects of a successful LSLR program. In this blog, we’ll highlight key strategies and best practices for communication and outreach that can improve participation rates and build customer trust.
Stakeholder Engagement and Education
A successful LSLR program requires a drinking water system to effectively communicate with customers, municipal leaders, community advocates, property owners, and occupants at every step in the replacement process, from inspection to post-replacement sampling. Lead affects the nervous system, and the impact can sometimes be hard to quantify and invisible. Customers may not understand the health implications if a lead service line serves their home or the importance of cooperating with inspections to determine the status of their service line, which could be a lead, copper, galvanized, or even a lead-lined galvanized pipe. Moreover, since water systems in New Jersey were not previously responsible for the customer portion of the line, service line inventories are mostly incomplete, and the service line composition is likely to be unknown. Communicating to residents about pending service line inspections and/or removal is crucial to increasing participation and consent, particularly regarding the customer-owned portion of a lead service line.
Effective and early communication ensures residents’ trust and confidence in the water system. As we’ve seen in crises like Flint, Michigan, or Newark, New Jersey, when there’s a high level of concern regarding lead in drinking water, customers may lose trust in the water system if key information is not relayed promptly. Drinking water systems need to educate customers, elected officials, and key stakeholders in a manner that empowers customers and key officials to take action. Beyond initial outreach, water systems should continue building trust and maintaining engagement through frequent, transparent, and consistent messaging.
Strategic Messaging and Outreach Campaigns
Direct communication in the customer’s preferred channel or method of communication is essential for consideration. Both paying and non-paying customers need to be informed about the risks associated with lead contamination, the benefits of LSLR, and the steps to ensure their waters’ safety. Direct communication through preferred channels helps build trust, address concerns, and encourage participation in the replacement process. Water systems must consider adapting their outreach strategies, which could differ across service areas, especially for systems serving multiple municipalities.
Thorough research and review of prior campaigns are necessary to increase the impact of outreach campaigns. Understanding lessons learned such as those shared in this new report, as well as identifying best practices, and assessing the success of different communication channels, can help refine strategies and improve customer engagement. Incorporating key service area demographics and preferred communication trends enables water systems to leverage these insights to improve future outreach efforts and meet communication targets. Engaging hard-to-reach populations is crucial in LSLR outreach campaigns. Certain population groups, based on culture, language barriers, location, or socioeconomic status, may lack access to or utilize different means of communication that don’t fit the general patterns the service area uses. For instance, some individuals may not use social media, have internet access, or speak the dominant language of the service area, making it challenging for them to receive critical information about LSLR. To effectively engage these populations, water systems must develop specialized outreach campaigns that cater to those unique needs and communication barriers.
In Atlantic City, the Funding Navigator team has taken a different approach to increasing response rates for lead service line identification by strategically designing mailers in multiple languages. Recognizing that regulatory lead notices often go overlooked, we combined them with a more visually engaging self-reporting form in a single mailing. By using bold colors as a visual cue for urgency and ensuring the materials were accessible to diverse communities, we made it easier for residents to understand the importance of checking their service lines and taking action. This “two-for-one” approach maximized efficiency—ensuring compliance while driving more participation in the self-reporting process.
Hard to Reach Populations
The importance of targeted outreach to hard-to-reach populations cannot be overstated, as lead exposure poses a significant public health risk. Identifying these populations and creating a tailored approach to delivering health education and replacement services is essential. This may involve partnering with community-based organizations, using culturally sensitive messaging, providing multilingual support, or leveraging alternative communication channels such as print media, community events, or door-to-door outreach. These proactive steps champion an inclusive approach to outreach. This way, water systems can ensure that all residents, regardless of their background or circumstances, receive the information and support they need to stay safe from lead contamination.
Well-established community groups play an essential role in disseminating information on local issues. They may cut across different population groups, including older people and immigrants who face language barriers. Building partnerships with organizations connected to hard-to-reach populations is crucial, enabling information delivery to individuals already within their network, fostering trust, and encouraging participation. The importance of partnership becomes especially instrumental for programs utilizing customer surveys to improve inventories. Additionally, employing a variety of delivery methods for information is crucial.
Effective Communication Methods
Door-to-door canvassing, for instance, allows for personalized interaction and can be particularly effective in reaching residents who may not have access to digital platforms. Choosing the right “messenger” is necessary to open the doors. Drinking water systems should think critically about partnering with community leaders and groups valued as trusted messengers and, most importantly, members of the communities they serve. Even so, other delivery methods offer distinct benefits, such as social media announcements, presentations, door hangers, flyers, posters, T-shirts, ads, and billboards. Social media announcements, for example, can rapidly disseminate information to a large audience, while visuals can enhance the message and capture attention. Town halls provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion and Q&A sessions. Multilingual door hangers, flyers, and posters offer a tangible, offline presence, while T-shirts and ads can serve as conversation starters. Billboards provide high-visibility messaging. By leveraging multiple delivery methods, community organizations can ensure their message reaches the widest possible audience, encouraging participation and driving engagement. Utilizing community surveys to prompt customers to self-identify lead service lines is a great way to educate consumers and accelerate lead service line inventories. Customer surveys may supplement traditional methods and prove particularly useful where there are challenges in accessing private property for lead service line inspections and replacements, such as rental units. Additionally, to maximize participation, consumers typically require instructional information on visually inspecting a service line or performing scratch tests. Community meetings are a great way to conduct such training and educational outreach.
New Brunswick: A Case Study in Community-Led Mapping
In New Brunswick, we’ve seen firsthand how student-led mapping initiatives can play a crucial role in addressing the challenges of lead service line replacement. Ensuring accurate service line inventories has been a persistent issue with so many rental properties and off-campus housing units. Many landlords and tenants were unaware of their pipe materials or hesitant to engage with municipal authorities.
To bridge this gap, NJDEP’s Watershed Ambassador Program, along with student volunteers from Rutgers University, in partnership with NJF’s Funding Navigator team and New Brunswick Municipal Utilities Authority (NBMUA), are taking the lead to begin conducting door-to-door outreach, surveying properties, and helping to identify and document lead pipes in these high-risk areas. Using simple tools like visual inspections and in-person resident surveys, students will collect crucial data that has the potential to accelerate data collection and foster deeper public trust.
Beyond mapping, the initiative also is an opportunity for education. Students are informing others of the risks of lead exposure, and helping residents understand the lead service line replacement process by connecting them with available resources. Their involvement has shown that when local communities, educational institutions, and advocacy groups collaborate, we can overcome barriers to participation and ensure that no household is left out of the replacement effort. With successful partnerships in New Brunswick, the Funding Navigator team is also working to expand this model to Stockton University Atlantic City.
Closing
Ensuring the success of lead service line replacement efforts requires more than just technical solutions—it demands strong community engagement, clear communication, transparency, and a commitment to equity. By learning from case studies like New Brunswick, where student involvement is helping to bridge gaps in data and outreach, and Atlantic City, where strategic, multilingual mailers increased self-reporting, municipalities can develop more effective, people-centered approaches. As New Jersey moves closer to its goal of replacing all lead pipes, the role of communities in shaping and supporting these efforts remains essential.
Breaking the Barrier to Water Infrastructure Funding
March 14th, 2025 by Jessika Sherman
The New Jersey Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF) are critical financial resources that can provide a variety of funding and financing options, including principal forgiveness and low-interest loans, to support water infrastructure improvements across the state. These programs, established through federal and state partnerships, empower municipalities and drinking water and sewer systems to address essential projects, including wastewater treatment, stormwater, and drinking water initiatives. Through affordable financing and principal forgiveness, the SRFs enable communities to invest in crucial water infrastructure upgrades that improve public health and create resiliency to future challenges. These SRF programs have been largely successful. However, there are equity concerns regarding the types of communities that have been more successful in accessing this funding.
Funding doesn’t automatically reach the municipalities and water systems that need it, each system must navigate a complex application process. Understanding and applying for such a large-scale program can be daunting for small, resource-limited systems. In New Jersey Future’s and the Environmental Policy Innovation Center’s 2023 report, Improving a Program that Works: Recommendations to the New Jersey Water Bank for Advancing Equity, it was found that small communities have received a significantly smaller portion of SRF awards. These systems often face capacity limitations, making it a costly and time-consuming effort to submit a complete SRF application. This process requires performing an inventory analysis, financial analysis, gap analysis, and asset mapping — an intensive undertaking with no guaranteed funding outcome. The planning and design phases alone can cost several million dollars, posing a considerable financial risk for small systems.
Recognizing these barriers through its work with municipal leaders, water system staff, and coalitions, New Jersey Future launched the Funding Navigator program in 2023. This program is the first New Jersey statewide nonprofit initiative dedicated to helping New Jersey’s most underserved communities access water infrastructure funding. The Funding Navigator program supports municipalities and small—to mid-sized water systems by providing guidance throughout the application process, assisting with community outreach initiatives, and providing engineering support.
The Funding Navigator Program also collaborates with the following technical partners:
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- New Jersey Infrastructure Bank
- Environmental Policy Innovation Center
- Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center
- Moonshot Missions
These partnerships enable the Funding Navigator program to provide technical assistance, such as sewage system collection mapping for asset management plans and lead line inventory services, as well as community outreach services, such as community engagement recommendations, public mailers, public education programs, and other services based on the community or water system’s needs.
The work starts with identifying communities that are underserved and disadvantaged. Typically, these are small systems and communities that meet the NJDEP’s affordability criteria and/or the highest distress scores under the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) municipal revitalization index (MRI). Communities that have not received any SRF funding in the past several years are top priorities. Jersey WaterCheck, an online dashboard that features data about the state’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems, offers important water system data that also helps us identify clean water systems and drinking water systems with known harmful bacteria, the number of known and unknown lead service lines, and how customer-friendly systems are.
By the end of 2024, The Funding Navigator program grew from 3 towns to partnering with 10 communities across the following eight counties:
- Atlantic
- Gloucester
- Hunterdon
- Mercer
- Middlesex
- Monmouth
- Sussex
- Warren
This growth underscores the critical need for targeted support to help municipalities and water systems overcome the challenges of accessing SRF funding. Looking ahead, the Funding Navigator program aims to further strengthen its reach by expanding technical assistance and building deeper relationships with underserved communities. By continuing this work, the program enhances access to critical financial resources and ensures that the SRF programs distribute funding to the communities that need them most.
To learn more about New Jersey Future’s Funding Navigator program, visit the website.
Designing Pedestrian-Friendly Spaces to Enhance Health and Accessibility for New Jersey’s Aging Population
March 13th, 2025 by Bethany Villa
As New Jersey’s population ages, one challenge stands out: how can we create an environment that supports the well-being of older adults, particularly in urban and suburban spaces? The built environment—our streets, sidewalks, and public areas—profoundly affects the health and independence of seniors. Yet many older residents, particularly in underserved communities, face significant barriers to mobility. The key findings from a new report, “The Hidden Impact of the Built Environment: Designing Pedestrian-Friendly Spaces for Enhanced Health and Accessibility for Elderly & Aging Populations in New Jersey,” highlight how New Jersey can design safer, more accessible pedestrian spaces to improve the quality of life for the state’s older adults.
The report reveals that poorly designed urban spaces, especially those that prioritize cars over pedestrians, negatively impact the physical and mental health of older adults. Streets without safe crosswalks, sidewalks, or adequate lighting contribute to physical inactivity, a major risk factor for chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Additionally, limited access to parks or social spaces exacerbates feelings of isolation, which can lead to mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. Conversely, communities with well-designed pedestrian infrastructure promote physical activity, social engagement, and overall well-being, helping older adults maintain their independence for longer.
In response to these issues, the report outlines a series of recommendations for improving New Jersey’s built environment to better support its aging population. First, the state should implement specific guidelines for pedestrian-friendly design that cater to the needs of older adults, ensuring that streets and public areas are safe and navigable. A second proposal is creating a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) tool* to help policymakers evaluate the health outcomes of urban development projects, particularly how they affect seniors. Lastly, the report advocates for a statewide Age-Friendly Communities Initiative,* drawing inspiration from successful local models like Montclair’s efforts to enhance pedestrian infrastructure and increase transportation options for older adults.
By focusing on these strategies, New Jersey can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for its aging population. Improved pedestrian infrastructure and a focus on health outcomes in urban planning will not only benefit seniors but also contribute to a healthier, more vibrant community overall. As the 65+ population in the state continues to grow, now is the time to act—ensuring that New Jersey’s built environment enhances the mobility, independence, and quality of life of its older residents.
*New Jersey Future notes:
- Statewide Age-Friendly Communities Initiative: New Jersey has three robust age-friendly initiatives. Age-Friendly North Jersey and the Age-Friendly State Policy Committee (convened by New Jersey Future) are a connected cross-sectoral network of organizations committed to advancing the Age-Friendly movement across part or all of the Garden State. Lifelong Strong NJ is a third connected advocacy campaign to enlist the next governor as a champion who will ensure all New Jerseyans can thrive in the Garden State as we age.
- Health Impact Assessment: While not official state government policies, Sustainable Jersey, a policy center at The College of New Jersey, has prepared several documents for use by municipal leaders in assessing the aging-friendliness of their town and taking steps to improve conditions for older residents:
- The Complete and Green Streets for All Action focuses on streets and sidewalks and their role in addressing the mobility needs of all users, including older adults.
- The Local Health Assessment and Action Plan is the foundational action for municipalities seeking the Gold Star in Health (an additional recognition the program awards).
- The Community Design for All Ages Action provides several options for municipalities to improve the built environment to accommodate the design needs of older adults.
- The Integrating Health Into Municipal Decision Making Action asks the municipality to complete a Municipal “Health in All Policies” checklist to review internal procedures in municipal operations, as well as a review of a particular policy, program, or plan to assess how health and health equity are being considered in the decision making process.
Bethany Villa, Princeton University Class of 2026, prepared this report as a project for a fall 2024 undergraduate course entitled Critical Perspectives in Global Health Policy, taught by Heather Howard in Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Tim Evans, New Jersey Future’s Research Director, served as Bethany’s client and external advisor for the project.
Debt is Not a Bad Word: Funding New Jersey’s Infrastructure through Smart Financing
February 18th, 2025 by Jessika Sherman
The following feature was originally published in the February 2025 edition of NJ Municipalities Magazine, which has been relied upon by local government leaders, department heads and administrators for over 100 years. NJ Municipalities is read by over 6,000 readers each month. You can read an online version, or view the pdf of the print edition.
Municipalities face a tricky balancing act when it comes to infrastructure improvements: they need to address large, costly projects but have limited resources to fund them. Historically, issuing debt has been the primary means that municipalities are left with to finance critical improvements. However, municipal leaders are reluctant to be the ones responsible for issuing debt, while utilities and public systems are often hesitant to raise rates to cover project costs.
The reluctance to take on debt is understandable, especially when debates over the federal debt ceiling and spending often dominate headlines. Concerns over affording the debt service, balancing the budget, raising enough revenues, and not wanting to burden taxpayers or ratepayers are valid. These issues span from the smallest municipalities to the federal government. By assisting municipalities and small-to medium-sized water systems in accessing funding for vital water infrastructure projects, New Jersey Future’s Funding Navigator program has come to appreciate these challenges. While grant programs and federal funding provide some relief, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (aka the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and the American Rescue Plan Act, these funds are limited and temporary.
Programs like Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) provide municipalities with more accessible options for financing critical infrastructure projects. The New Jersey Water Bank (NJWB), a partnership between the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), offers low-interest loans to support clean water and drinking water infrastructure projects. In addition to the Water Bank, the I-Bank provides low-interest loans for other essential infrastructure through the Transportation Infrastructure Bank and the Resilience Infrastructure Bank. These funding sources are fundamental to addressing the state’s infrastructure needs. When paired with effective planning and sound financial management practices, they help mitigate the risks commonly associated with taking on debt.
“If you set a plan and follow the plan, it helps you avoid an emergency. When you do things in an emergency, you pay more for it and can’t plan as efficiently,” explains Thomas Horn, Executive Director of the Lambertville Municipal Utilities Authority. Horn’s experience highlights the significant potential benefits of State Revolving Fund (SRF) low-interest loans. The municipality utilizes a 30-year infrastructure plan that allows it to anticipate water system needs well in advance. By leveraging low-interest loans from the I-Bank, they have made essential system upgrades while developing a fair and sustainable rate structure to manage the debt service.
Lambertville’s proactive approach helps avoid the high costs and inefficiencies associated with emergency repairs. Horn also acknowledges a perspective shared by many municipal leaders: while no one likes taking on debt, sometimes it is necessary. “It’s like a mortgage,” he says. “Very few systems and towns have the resources to fund large infrastructure improvements outright.” Lambertville’s experience underscores the importance of long-term planning and strategic financing in maintaining critical infrastructure.
Strong financial management practices can help municipalities, utilities, and taxpayers benefit from strategic debt use. For municipalities and utilities, debt provides enhanced project funding by facilitating large-scale infrastructure projects with access to capital markets with favorable interest rates, such as those offered by the Water Bank. As Lambertville has demonstrated, loans provide the financial resources needed for critical improvements without placing an immediate strain on existing funds, enabling municipalities to focus on strategic planning and implementation. This approach ensures that cash reserves are preserved for true emergencies, while a structured repayment schedule spreads costs over time, aligning debt service with the lifespan of the infrastructure. By reducing upfront costs, debt can accelerate project timelines, which is essential for addressing urgent needs.
Even municipalities or utilities with sufficient cash reserves can benefit from debt. Low-interest loans are particularly advantageous when their rates are lower than the returns on cash reserves or fund balances, which can be saved for unexpected delays or misaligned payment schedules. Beyond financial stability, infrastructure improvements driven by strategic debt use make municipalities more competitive by attracting businesses and residents, ultimately strengthening the local economy and increasing ratables, which can help fund the debt service over time.
Taxpayers and ratepayers can also benefit from this approach. Infrastructure investments generate jobs and economic stimulation during the planning and construction phases while offering long-term benefits like modernization and enhanced service reliability. Improved infrastructure leads to better service delivery and greater safety for utilities and water systems. Furthermore, debt payments distribute the cost of these improvements over their useful life, ensuring that future users contribute to funding and avoiding hefty, one-time tax or rate increases. Proper planning, as demonstrated by Lambertville, is critical for avoiding costly and disruptive emergencies and ensuring that communities’ financial and service needs are met effectively.
The reality is that, much like the nation as a whole, New Jersey faces costly and urgent infrastructure challenges. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, addressing all the necessary improvements and repairs for drinking water and clean water infrastructure in New Jersey alone will require an estimated $31.6 billion. In 2021, the U.S. received a C- rating from the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, while in 2016, New Jersey received a D+ rating, highlighting the dire need for investment. As a coastal state, New Jersey is particularly vulnerable to flooding and the impacts of climate change, making infrastructure improvements and resilience efforts more critical than ever. Debt is not a bad word—it is a vital tool that enables municipalities to address these challenges without overwhelming current resources when used strategically and with sound financial management. By leveraging debt effectively, New Jersey can build the resilient, modern infrastructure needed to support its communities and secure a sustainable future.
Exciting Updates to NJ’s State Plan—Don’t Miss Your Chance to Speak Up!
February 18th, 2025 by Tim Evans
New Jersey Future (NJF) has been a key advocate for the State Plan since our founding in 1987, championing smart growth policies to improve communities and safeguard natural resources. NJF was a member of the consultant team that assisted the Office of Planning Advocacy with the update to the State Plan. I contributed analysis on multiple subject matter areas addressed in the Plan, including parts of the Research Briefs section, Population and Employment Projections section, and the Lasting changes in the post-COVID world section.
- The “Research Briefs” section consists of four subject-matter reports:
- Transit-Oriented Development’s Renaissance in New Jersey
- Young Adults and Walkable Urbanism
- Redevelopment Is the New Normal
- Planning for the Challenges of an Aging New Jersey
- The “Population and Employment Projections” section describes how we evaluated population and employment projections, the issues we examined, and what methodology we decided to adopt. The projections are discussed in the State Planning Commission (SPC) meeting minutes from the 11-6-24 meeting, where the SPC officially adopted the population and employment projections as we recommended.
- The final section of the Population and Employment Projections Appendix, labeled “Lasting changes in the post-COVID world,” highlights some questions that arose during the State Plan update process about changes that were brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to watch for which of these changes have staying power and which might revert to their pre-pandemic state since they will have implications for what future growth and development in New Jersey looks like.
NJF remains committed to helping advance the State Plan and ensuring its success across the Garden State, but we can’t do it alone. You can help make the State Plan update a success by providing feedback on the draft plan or joining a public meeting!
Attend one of a series of upcoming public meetings, one in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. The Salem County meeting happens on February 19, at 5 p.m. and the NJ Highlands Council and Somerset County meetings are February 20. Find more information on these and your county meeting here.
Email (stateplan
comments
sosnjgov) to submit your comments.
Public comments can be submitted at any time during the cross-acceptance process which culminates with the State Planning Commission meeting (anticipated December 2025) at which the vote will take place to adopt the final version of the Plan.
To ensure adequate time for comments to be considered, the Office of Planning Advocacy recommends submitting by April 16, while the county public information meetings are still taking place.
Timeline for Cross-Acceptance Process:
- December 6, 2024: Cross Acceptance commences. Draft Preliminary State Development and Redevelopment Plan released for public comment.
- February 12 to April 16, 2025: Public Information Meetings, one per county. Check the Update to State Development and Redevelopment Plan page in the item about the 2025 County Public Meeting schedule for the latest.
- Spring/Summer 2025:
- Cross Acceptance Reports
- Statements of Agreements and Disagreements
- Negotiation Phase
- State Agency Reports and Responses
- Complete Infrastructure Needs Assessment, Phase II and Impact Assessment
- Summer/Fall 2025:
- Incorporate results of Cross-Acceptance into the Final Draft State Development and Redevelopment Plan
- Hold six (6) Public Hearings (5 virtual and 1 in person)
- Release the Final Draft State Development and Redevelopment Plan
- Winter 2025: State Planning Commission adopts final State Development and Redevelopment Plan
Your voice shapes New Jersey’s future. Share your input by submitting a comment or joining a public meeting.
Breaking Down the State Revolving Fund – Recommendations and Changes
December 2nd, 2024 by Jessika Sherman
This blog is a follow-up to New Jersey Future’s November 2023 report Improving a Program That Works: Recommendations to the New Jersey Water Bank for Advancing Equity. Please see page 1 of the report for a list of acronyms.
Over the next 20 years, the United States must spend $625 billion to fix, maintain, and improve water infrastructure. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, New Jersey alone will need to spend at least $12,252,800,000 on drinking water infrastructure and $19,352,000,000 on clean water infrastructure over the next 20 years to make all necessary improvements and repairs. The predominant sources of water infrastructure funding and financing for all 50 states are the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF – wastewater treatment and stormwater management) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF – safe and reliable water supply). These State Revolving Funds (SRFs) are financial assistance programs that provide low-interest loans to support critical water infrastructure projects essential for protecting public health and the environment.
The New Jersey Water Bank (NJWB), a partnership of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank), manages New Jersey’s State Revolving Funds. NJWB’s financial support to New Jersey wastewater and drinking water systems has generated significant savings through principal forgiveness (PF – grant-like funding) and low-interest loans. Disadvantaged communities (DACs) served by small and medium-sized systems face increased challenges in accessing SRF funding, particularly struggling to reach the initial application stage due to the high costs associated with planning and design. Larger water utilities tend to receive disproportionate awards, while smaller, fiscally distressed DACs lag behind, highlighting a significant equity concern. In Improving a Program that Works: Recommendations to the New Jersey Water Bank for Advancing Equity, released in November 2023, New Jersey Future (NJF) and the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) primarily recommended policies to improve access to the SRFs for water systems serving DACs through a more robust method for identifying disadvantaged communities, maximizing pre-construction support, expanding principal forgiveness funds, and providing 0% interest loans.
Annually, the NJWB is required to develop Intended Use Plans (IUPs) for the DWSRF and CWSRF, laying out the policies, funding packages, and project priority ranking methodology for the corresponding state fiscal year. Over the last few years, NJF has reviewed New Jersey’s IUP policies and submitted comments concerning the amount of state and federal funding used to address the needs of water systems serving disadvantaged communities. NJDEP, which sets policy for the NJWB, has been open to feedback and working with stakeholders to improve the IUP policies.
Of the ten recommendations made in Improving a Program that Works, NJDEP has implemented the following:
- NJWB has made progress in expanding set-aside activities for technical assistance and support for DACs, particularly for pre-construction needs. Project sponsors who meet the affordability criteria are eligible for the New Jersey Technical Assistance Program (NJTAP), a free technical assistance program for drinking water projects. Additional planning and design grants and principal forgiveness are also available.
- Increased flat caps in all drinking water SRF categories that will result in more subsidies for small water systems, lead service line (LSL) projects, and DAC systems.
- NJWB implemented a tiered funding structure to direct a greater share of financial assistance to DACs with the greatest financial need.
- The most recent IUP clarified the I-Bank’s creditworthiness policy.
NJF is excited to see all the improvements that have been made and hopes to see the following changes made in the future:
- As a key first step in refining its criteria for dispersing principal forgiveness, NJDEP implemented a two-tiered system based primarily on median household income (MHI).To maximize equity, NJDEP should adopt the model established by several other states (e.g., Wisconsin) that incorporates more tiers and indicators (e.g., family poverty, population trend). The combined effect directs a larger share of aid to the state’s neediest communities.
- MHI is still the primary criterion for calculating an affordability score for water systems serving DACs in the Intended Use Plans. NJF and EPIC recommend utilizing the Department of Community Affairs’ Municipal Revitalization Index score, a multidimensional tool comprising ten factors in five broad categories. Alternatively, NJDEP could consider using a water affordability index, such as the one developed by Dan Van Abs (Professor of Practice for Water, Society, and the Environment at Rutgers University, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences) for Jersey Water Works, for distributing funds to those in greatest need.
- NJDEP should significantly expand the use of 0% interest loans to advance critical, high-priority projects in the most distressed DACs. NJDEP only increased these loans for investor-owned systems in the most recent IUP.
- Significantly increase the ranking points awarded in the Project Priority List for “gainsharing” initiatives that benefit both the water utility and the state, such as water affordability programs (which support appropriate rate setting while protecting low-income customers), asset management plans, and regionalization of water assets.
- NJDEP should repurpose a modest portion of loan repayments to increase principal forgiveness to DACs. NJDEP could use this approach to develop a funding source for galvanized water service lines within DACs, which may not be eligible for federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Galvanized service lines are required to be removed in NJ by 2031 since they can be a source of lead in drinking water.
- Legislation to improve creditworthiness for severely distressed DACs.
The report also identified the need to address congressionally directed spending, or earmarks. Congress has diverted SRF funding to earmarked projects, and the concern is that earmarked projects circumvent the normal priority-setting process where projects determined to be of the highest priority score the most points. In addition, communities with median household incomes (MHI) above the state average, including some of New Jersey’s wealthiest areas, have received nearly half of the earmarked funds. Meanwhile, less than a third of these funds have gone to disadvantaged communities (DACs). Discussions with New Jersey’s congressional delegation are ongoing, but no definitive changes have been made to prevent federal water infrastructure funding from being derailed by earmarks. Governor Murphy, according to NJDEP, sent a letter to the New Jersey Congressional Delegation expressing concern over this issue.
As last year’s report title states, NJDEP’s CWSRF and DWSRF programs are generally effective and have provided significant funding to improve water systems since their inception; however, as New Jersey faces the daunting challenge of aging water infrastructure and its extreme costs, ensuring equitable access to funding is critical. DACs served by small- to medium-sized water systems face the most barriers to accessing the financial resources needed to repair and upgrade water systems. Though progress has been made, significant disparities remain. NJWB should continue to refine its program to target funding to New Jersey’s most distressed communities, most of which lack the resources to provide safe, reliable water services for the future. Without a greater commitment to both equity and funding, the gap between resource-constrained DACs and other water utilities will continue to grow, undermining efforts to build resilient, sustainable infrastructure across New Jersey.
Logging On: Examining the Influence of NUMTOTs on Urbanism Discourse
September 19th, 2024 by Sneha Patel
“Whatever your niche interests are, there’s already a conversation happening online about it,” Michael Atkins, Communications Director at New Jersey Future, opened astutely when moderating the session “Logging On: Examining the Influence of NUMTOTs on Urbanism Discourse” at the 2024 New Jersey Planning and Redevelopment Conference hosted by the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association and New Jersey Future.
From navigating confusing metro maps to voicing frustrations with the lack of bike lanes, younger generations are using their lived experiences to engage with peers through the online ecosystem. By creating and sharing memes, young people have found a collective vehicle to insert themselves into the planning and transportation conversation. Millennials and Gen Z’s in the urbanism space, who hold similar values such as being pro-transit and pro-housing and believe better urbanism is crucial to meeting environmental goals, are called NUMTOTs, otherwise known as New Urbanists Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens.
The session featured a selection of online creators with different insights, from the birth of “NUMTOTs” to creators of longer-form and short-form content. The panelists included Alan Fisher, Social Creator and Media Advisor; Alex Ambrose, Policy Analyst, New Jersey Policy Perspective; and Juliet Eldred, Co-Founder of the NUMTOT Facebook group and Project Manager at Trillium, an Optibus Company.
The NUMTOTs Facebook group, created in March 2017 by Juliet Eldred and her co-founder Emily Orenstein—initially created as a joke—has flourished into a well-established discussion forum with over 225,000 members worldwide. Facebook served as the primordial soup for the emergence of transit-related memes, where many groups based on niche topics were common. Memes are images or short videos that are usually funny or relatable and are easily circulated. They are a way of tapping into feelings that everyone shares, from missing the bus to seeing something as bizarre as a bull on the tracks of NJ Transit. The shareable, simple nature of memes makes them a driving force to connect multiple generations to rally behind issues areas (even going as far as winning presidential endorsement from the entire group). The NUMTOT Facebook group was where many young professionals fostered their interest in the transit and planning field.
Alan Fisher, a fellow NUMTOT himself, explains how everyone engages in meme culture in some form: “The learning experience or the way that you teach the public has changed, but the concepts and the ways that we talk about it have not.” He compares a 1930’s advertisement from the Chicago Shore Line, which states, “The Steel Highways are always open!” to a current ad from the Chicago RTA, “Spoiler Alert: There’s Traffic.” Close to 90 years later, the same message remains: take the train, and you won’t be stuck in traffic. Fisher, the creator of the YouTube series Armchair Urbanist, on a YouTube channel with 225K subscribers and 24.5M views, makes content focused on urban planning, transportation, and North American history. He comments, “There’s always something to teach about urban planning to the general public. You have to shape and create a message in a way people will understand.” His YouTube community has been a place to get people engaged in otherwise “dull” topics and for professionals to get excited to talk about their niche interests in a captivating way. Being relatable, clear, and oftentimes funny can be the key to crafting content that resonates with people. Organizations frequently struggle with being too business-focused and using “LinkedIn fluff.” as Alan puts it. He remarks, “Being too nice at approaching concepts or too scared at making fun of the industry can keep you from connecting with anyone, leaving you with too muddy of a message because you aren’t taking a stand on anything.”
Alex Ambrose, Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective, isn’t afraid of voicing their opinions. “You never know what will resonate with people,” Ambrose comments. Taking on the persona of a “Professional Nerd” she engages audiences on New Jersey policy primarily on Twitter and TikTok. Ambrose creates short-form content such as one-minute videos or shareable memes where she explains the legislative budget process while getting ready or inserting her policy opinions into trending topics like Barbie or Taylor Swift. She explains, “Humor creates a low barrier for people to understand new concepts.” Social media is unserious in nature but can have a tangible impact. She says, “You should treat social media like it is real life to reach your goals.” Social media content can reach influential audiences, including policymakers, senators, and even Governors. Ambrose aims to create content that reaches a specific audience to advocate for change. She advises, “Don’t go viral, go local.”
Social media may seem silly, but it is an effective means of intergenerational communication. Connecting our everyday occurrences and getting younger people interested, engaged, and informed is a way of leveling the playing field for those who want change but are unsure how to advocate for it. For many organizations, it can be a direct way to tailor your message to your audience. Access to affordable housing, multiple modes of transit, and clean drinking water are human issues. Everyone can relate and memes can be a way to mobilize the public. A little bit of “unprofessionalism” can make significant changes.
