A COMMUNITY VISION FOR THE CITY OF BRIDGETON
The City of Bridgeton Vision Statement represents the work of City officials and citizens to picture their City as it might be in the coming decades. Yet, because we are right here in the present, the citizens who attended the Visioning Workshops also strove to be sensible. Over the years, too many plans and visions for Bridgeton have been written, never to see the light of day, much less be acted upon. The Vision Statement proposed here is grounded in practical, achievable actions. It is not all encompassing in terms of the myriad problems which face Bridgeton. There is nothing about the state of rental housing and there are no proposals for redevelopment. Those issues, and their many companions, are dealt with in the Master Plan and in the City’s several Redevelopment Plans.
Over the course of the six Workshops held in 2009, a vision for a better future for Bridgeton materialized which centered on two themes. The identification of all citizens of Bridgeton with the Cohansey River and large City Park is an asset and advantage for framing a future vision. Citizens were awash with ideas for better utilization of these resources. The second theme, which consumed citizens equally, was the desire for a future Bridgeton in which they felt safe and comfortable on the streets, in the shops and in the Park. While other topics were presented, these two issues rose again and again as the core ideas for a better future for Bridgeton. In these citizens’ vision, Bridgeton will be a River oriented small City with many heterogeneous and safe neighborhoods inhabited by residents whose quality of life is enhanced by multiple places for River access, safe pedestrian and bike walkways around the City, and a vibrant public life in the Central Business District and throughout the City. The report details how the Vision Statement was formulated. It is accompanied by a slide show which is intended to convey ideas for how to achieve the vision for Bridgeton arrived at by its citizens. 
| Draft Report Available Citizen's are invited to read the draft report, submit any comments for consideration and attend the next public hearings scheduled for 6:30PM April 6, 2010 and March 31, 2010 at The Municipal & Court Complex, 330 Fayette St. Bridgeton NJ 08302
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