Expert to assist Jackson with open space planning

Expert to assist Jackson
with open space planning
By Joyce Blay
Staff Writer

Andrew L. Strauss

JACKSON — Andrew L. Strauss is not yet a household name in Jackson, but as a consultant to the Township Committee in matters pertaining to open space land acquisition, that may soon change.

In January, the governing body, with Republican Committeeman Josh Reilly ab­staining, awarded a contract to Strauss and Associates/Planners of Trenton to assist the township in acquiring open space for pas­sive as well as recreational use. Strauss will be paid $125 per hour for his services.

A 1982 graduate in political science and environmental studies from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, Strauss later earned a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in 1986. He was a Depart-mental Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania from 1984-86 while studying there for his master’s degree.

Both Strauss and his wife, Diane, who is also a principal in Strauss and Assoc-iates, a firm they founded in 1995, are licensed planners.

According to information provided by Strauss, his expertise is in land use plan­ning, policy development, quantitative analysis and management of real estate and conservation land transactions. His wife has specialized in the preparation of com­prehensive plans and zoning ordinances.

For more than five years, Strauss has served as the New Jersey project manager for the Trust for Public Land, a national, nonprofit land conservation organization, where his resume said he managed $20 million in land acquisition projects.

In addition, Strauss worked with private land owners, nonprofits and federal, state and local government appropriations for open space purchases and limited devel­opment projects.

From 1986-90, Strauss worked as policy adviser to former governor Thomas H. Kean, where he specialized in land use and affordable housing programs.

His more recent clients have included the Ocean County Planning Department, which retained his services in open space planning, financing and acquisition of se­lected county conservation lands and rail­road rights-of-way.

"We contacted him shortly after the county established their natural lands trust program for the preservation of natural lands throughout the county in 1997," said David McKeon, assistant planning director. "We’ve been very satisfied with his work."

Plumsted Mayor Ron Dancer made sim­ilar comments extolling Strauss’ work. The Township Committee retained Strauss to assist in the planning and acquisition of conservation lands. Dancer saw a parallel between Plumsted and Jackson and why he thought Strauss would be able to help the two towns achieve their conservation ob­jectives.

"Both Plumsted and Jackson still have many rural woodlands that have not yet been developed," said Dancer, who charac­terized Jackson’s decision to hire Strauss with the simple but succinct, "Good choice!"

Since the committee awarded Strauss and Associates a contract to assist with open space acquisition, the firm has taken aggressive action in the short time it has been employed by Jackson.

After helping the township set up a $20 million fund to obtain matching funds un­der the state’s Green Acres program, which Strauss discussed with residents and the committee at a Feb. 24 meeting, he made a second appearance on March 10 to present a slide show that had been postponed at the previous meeting due to technical difficul­ties.

Strauss said after the presentation that he was preparing a portfolio of property for future land acquisition and that he would be assisting with an update of the master plan by working with the township plan­ner, Rick Ragan, and the township Planning Board.

During the public comment portion fol­lowing his presentation, a resident told Strauss there are 42,000 people living in Jackson, but complained that only 760 acres are available for children’s recre­ation.

"We’re working on it," said Strauss.