Mayor names 5 members to advisory committee Residents ask for more people to sit on committee BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer LONG BRANCH- City residents were less than satisfied last week with the mayor's decision to appoint fivemembers to an advisory committee, when regulations allowfor up to 10members to join the group. MayorAdamSchneider appointedmembers to the city's PlanEndorsementAdvisory Committee at the April 8 council meeting. The role of the committee is to guide themunicipality through the Plan Endorsement process. Plan Endorsement is a voluntary review process developed by the state Planning Commission to provide technical assistance and coordination of the state for municipalities, counties and regional agencies tomeet the goals of the State Planning Act, State Development and Redevelopment Plan. "The city of Long Branch applied for a designation as a regional center by the state Planning Commission in 1997," Long Branch Business Administrator Howard H. Woolley said at the meeting. The certification is up for renewal, according toWoolley. "In order to be recertified as a regional center, or urban center, the policy is that we must appoint a plan endorsement committee," he said. Council voted 4-1 on the resolution to appoint the committee,withCouncilmanBrian Unger being the lone no vote. Unger justified his vote by saying that the mayor can appoint anywhere from five to 10members to the committee and should fill the remaining five slots. "With five slots open, I don't see what is wrong with having people with more opinions on the committee," Unger said. "I think we need to fill this out." The committee must consist of between five and 10members and themembersmust include one representative of the governing body, a Planning Board member, a representative from a local board and two representatives of the public that do not hold a position within the municipality. Themembers appointed to the city's committee include Councilman Michael DeStefano, Planning Board Chairman Howard Marlin, Long BranchHousingAuthority ExecutiveDirector TyroneGarrett and city residents Michael Bienz and the Rev. Charles Smith. City resident Harold Bobrow, who has been active in fighting the city's use of eminent domain to take his oceanfront property for a high-rise redevelopment project, volunteered to be a member of the committee. "Would you consider throwing on one more person," Bobrow asked Schneider. "I would be the sixth person." Schneider replied, "No, thank you." Broadway resident Kevin Brown said that he has a problemwith the five-member committee. "When you have to select between five and 10 people, I see that you have selected five," Brown said. "Give some citizens input in the planning process. "If you choose a larger number towards 10, you get that accomplished," Brown said. Harold Cooper of South Central Avenue added, "I would like to see more citizens." Schneider said he is only appointing five members to the committee. The state Planning Act recognizes that coordination of state action is necessary to help municipalities develop New Jersey's economy while protecting the natural, historic and recreation resources, aswell as providing adequate and diverse housing and redeveloping cities and older suburban areas, according to the resolution. The purpose of the Plan Endorsement process is to increase the degree of consistency amongmunicipal, county, regional and state agency plans with each other. The process is also aimed formunicipalities to coordinatewith the state plan and to facilitate the implementation of the plans with the primary focus on where and how development and redevelopment can be accommodated in accordance with the state plan, according to the resolution. The state Planning Rules and Plan Endorsement Guidelines establish a comprehensive and coordinated planning process in order for amunicipality to consider, and update as necessary, master plans, functional plans, development regulations and capital plans to be consistent with the state plan and achieve plan endorsement. The state Planning Rules and Plan Endorsement Guidelines incorporate and expand upon the principals of the Municipal Land Use Law in order to help towns plan for a sustainable future, according to the resolution.