Byram Township is a Collaborative Planning Township!

What is Collaboration??

Collaboration is when neighbors of a proposed land development, the developer, and environmentalists and concerned citizens work together to conceptualize a development as one team.  Their common goal should be to create a profitable project that most enhances property values and quality of life in the adjacent neighborhoods. 

Why is Collaboration Essential:

When a developer / builder decides to put in any type of new development, neighbors and developers can team together to make the project more successful.  Collaboration allows everyone to work together and generates the team spirit that yields the most creative thinking. It welcomes all ideas from all sources and, in the end, results in a successful project.   It expresses the ultimate goal of all change in land use -- to build community spirit and vitality.   We also believe that it results in the best plan being approved.

How are we implementing this in Byram Township?

The Environmental Commission offers assistance to help developers or residents pursue the Collaborative Planning Option.  The Commission will pay for the list of  property owners within 200 feet of a proposed project to help the developer contact interested residents.   The Commission can also help find a meeting place and notify participants of meeting times.

Byram's Collaborative Planning Project was funded in part by a 2001 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) Environmental Services Program.

We can supply the tools!

The Commission can provide copies of the following books written by Karl Kehde,  a Land Use Expert / Consultant who specializes in Collaborative Planning.   He helped us to implement this program in Byram:

   Smarter Land Use Project (reduce environmental problems, enhance existing neighborhoods)

The Commission also can provide Mr Kehde’s Planning Kit, which provides tools and instructions to help participants in collaborative sessions envision the best possible project to suit the needs of both the developer and the residents.  

To learn more about Karl Kehde and his work, please visit his web site by clicking here:

We're committed to making this work.  Here are the letters that we use when asked to start a Collaborative Planning Project:

1. Letter to the Developers who are starting projects in our township

2. Letter to the Neighbors within 200 feet of the project

For information or assistance, call Margaret McGarrity at the Byram Township Municipal Building at 973-347-2500 x138.