Montclair and Somerville are New Jersey’s newest Transit Villages, the NJDOT announced last week. The towns are the 21st and 22nd to receive the designation, which allows them to apply for $100,000 land use planning and technical assistance grants through the Transit Village program and gives them priority when applying for other state grants. The designation is awarded to municipalities making ongoing efforts to create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods around public transportation hubs, and is a key part of the state’s efforts to curb emissions and cut traffic.

The newly designated communities are each implementing transit-oriented development in their own way. Montclair is looking to develop around the Bay Street station by adding a commuter parking deck, seven residential developments with 163 units, a municipal fire station headquarters and a day care center. Somerville’s redevelopment efforts include plans to build a performing arts center, residential housing and parking decks near its station, and transform 40 acres of remediated landfill into recreation space with bike and foot trails and fields for residents.

But it’s not just new designations that brought Transit Villages into the headlines. Existing communities are moving forward with projects to help New Jerseyans make the most out of their transit trips:

West Windsor is working to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of Cranbury Road, Wallace Road, Route 51 and the Route 4 bridge, near the Princeton Junction train station. NJDOT has begun working on new pedestrian crosswalks in every direction, countdown timers on traffic lights and a dedicated left turn lane coming off the bridge.

The Highlands at Morristown Station – one of the first Transit Village developments – is adding another 8,000 square feet of Class A retail space, furthering efforts to improve the downtown experience.

In Bergen County, the River Edge Transit Village project will include three mixed-use buildings consisting of 130 residential units, about 35,000 square feet of retail space, 70,000 square feet of office space and a parking garage for up to 900 vehicles near the New Bridge Landing train station.

On a smaller scale, the South Amboy program has approved a plan to provide 35 new parking spots for commuters along the dead-end roads abutting the station, and is in the planning stages for future development prospects.

In the official press release, Governor Christie correctly noted that “this type of development spurs sustainable economic growth, maximizes the value of our transit investments and benefits the environment.”  But you can’t have a Transit Village without good transit. Hopefully, New Jersey’s recent 22% percent transit fare hike and severe service cuts don’t prove too detrimental to innovative projects like these.