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CARLOS RODRIGUES, FAICP / PP
Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts Project manager for a New Jersey Recovery Fund grant to the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy working on planning issues with 3 Sandy affected communities. Taught the Sea Bright Sandy Recovery graduate planning studio at the Bloustein School in the Spring of 2013 and Highlands Borough graduate planning studio in the Spring of 2014. Assisted Sandy-afflicted NJ communities with planning-related issues. Redevelopment Consultant to municipalities with respect to on-going redevelopment projects, including redeveloper selection and design review. Represents property owners adversely affected (including possible condemnation) by defective and unlawful redevelopment actions. Author of adopted Preliminary Investigations and Redevelopment Plans. Co-author of the 2013 amendmentS to the NJ Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (see below). Faculty for the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority's Annual Redevelopment Institute. Faculty for Institute for Continuing Legal Education sessions on Redevelopment. Faculty for "Design Principles for Redevelopment", a hands-on 1/2 day course offered through Rutgers' Center for Government Services. Zoning, Design Guidelines and Land Development Controls Acknowledged expert in the field. Has taught courses on the legal basis for design controls at the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Author of the 2014 publication Form-Based Code Guidebook: An Operator's Manual the most authoritative and state-of-the-art assessment of the application of this zoning technique in the state. Author of the 2010 publication Form-Based Codes in New Jersey: Issues and Opportunities, the only comprehensive assessment of form-based zoning in New Jersey. Author of Designing New Jersey and Employment and Community, the design companions to the 2001 New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan. Author of revisions to the City of Newark's zoning code, adopted by City Council in 2010 to encourage context-appropriate housing typologies. Involved with numerous zoning amendments in many jurisdictions. Former member of a Zoning Board of Adjustment for 15 years and its chair for 10 years. Visioning Expert organizer of successful public visioning workshops and other dynamic forms of public engagement in the planning process for projects at all scales, from a master plan for a county with a population of 1 million, to small-scale downtowns and village centers, to 5 miles of highway corridor. Downtown Urban Design and Waterfront Redevelopment Planning Developed a plan for a Raritan riverfront community in Central New Jersey that calls for the relocation of a 1-mile section of an active waterfront freight rail line and its conversion to a rails-to-trails; the conversion of other waterfront railroad and industrial uses into a new 50-acre waterfront park, involving extensive habitat restoration, reforestation and floodplain restoration; and the creation of exciting new civic spaces including a new Raritan River Museum and a Historic Stone Bridge Park in a National Register of Historic Places-designated location. The plan has been adopted locally and its implementation is on-going. Recognized with a 2010 Somerset County Land Development Award. Developed plans for a number of other Raritan riverfront areas in both Raritan Borough and Raritan Township. Transportation Planning Principal author of Out and About: a Guide to Sustainable Municipal Circulation Planning developed on behalf of the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth, in partnership with PlanSmart NJ and the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. Transit-Oriented Development Planning Consultant to New Jersey Transit’s "Transit-Friendly Planning Assistance" program, helping the agency develop a strategy for seeking outside funding for transit-friendly projects. Consultant, entitlement expert and equity partner in transit friendly development project. Legislative and Regulatory Reform Co-authored the 2013 amendments (A-3615 | S-2447) to New Jersey’s Local Redevelopment and Housing Act -- working with many of the state’s leading redevelopment attorneys, and on behalf of the New Jersey Builders Association – that codify noticing and other procedural requirements established under recent redevelopment case law and, more notably create a new “redevelopment without eminent domain” category that extends the option for the granting of PILOTS and long term tax abatements to “areas in need of rehabilitation” that previously would not have qualified. The 2018 amendment to criterion (b) that considers the vacancy rate in commercial buildings as a factor for designation was a direct result of the 2016 PlanSmartNJ report on "stranded assets" which I initiated and co-wrote. Active participant in stakeholder groups looking at regulatory reform and legislative initiatives regarding state planning, municipal planning, redevelopment, affordable housing, water quality management planning, and the NJ Highlands region. Growth Management Key contributor to the 2001 New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan. Regenerative Design Major proponent of regenerative design and lead organizer of an all-day conference in 2010 with 300 participants to publicize the state-of-the-art in sustainable agriculture, permaculture, water quality measures, green roofs, permeable pavements and other regenerative practices. Regional Planning Experienced regional and sub-regional planner, and most recently the organizer of a very successful public visioning process, with multiple workshops culminating in a well-attended one-day conference as part of the work for a new master plan for Bergen County. |
PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
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