Well-built and historical homes, as well as the old-growth trees, line streets make up the majority of the residential area. The Upper Montclair business district is an easy place for most residents to walk too, and has an eclectic array of businesses that includes wonderful restaurants, cafes, shops and businesses (http://www.umbanj.com/). Several train stations and bus stops in UM, also within w
alking distance, allow residents to commute into NYC, Newark and points north of Montclair. There are three elementary schools, one middle school and one University in UM. The people of Upper Montclair are a proud mix of ages, ethnic and socio-economic groups. Those of us who live here, love living here, and we strive to maintain the current character of the area, or better yet, to make the area even better by preserving what we have and fixing the current problems. (Montclair-Master-Plan_DRAFT-03-21-13.pdf). This proposed plan allows for 7-10 story buildings, and rezoning some areas that are currently R1 (residential). The areas around the train stations are where the majority of the proposed growth would take place. While we are not opposed to change that would create a better space, we are opposed to adding more buildings in a space that is already populated to capacity. The two biggest problems in UM are parking and traffic. The new Master Plan does not address these problems, but rather adds to the problem. During the process of designing the new Master Plan, focus groups were asked what they would like in Montclair, and what they would like to see changed. Trees, parks, and character were often stated as what people liked. More green spaces, bike lanes, better roads, and more parking is what residents saw as the need to change. Nobody said ‘Let’s allow for 10 story buildings (currently it is 4 story, correct?).’. The proposed Master Plan does not seem to be the plan that the current residents want. We would like to explore this more and hear from people, both pro and con so that the residents of Montclair have a say to what the Montclair of the future will be.
