NJ TRANSIT partnered with Mahwah Township to conduct a transit-oriented development (TOD) study and vision plan for the Mahwah station and its quarter-mile surrounding area. RPA participated as a Transit Friendly Planning Program consultant alongside NV5, and Arterial. This study is intended to inform future land use policy and development of the area around the Mahwah Train Station in a transit-friendly manner.

Transit Friendly Planning Program is “a community-focused planning program at NJ TRANSIT with decades of experience in assisting municipalities across New Jersey with community engagement, data, education, strategic partnerships, and technical assistance centered around station area planning. The Program strives to promote equitable, economically resilient, and environmentally sustainable development that improves the quality of life for all.”

Existing context of the Mahwah NJTransit station

RPA analyzed the existing physical conditions of the quarter-mile area around Mahwah Station including land use, zoning regulations, environmental regulations of the Highlands Water Protection area, walk time analysis, and rail service, as well as demographics and housing market trends for Mahwah Township and Bergen County.

The analysis identified a group of parcels owned by The Mahwah Department of Public Works adjacent to the station as the most appropriate for transit-oriented development. This was determined through stakeholder engagement, existing conditions, and constraints analysis. RPA then developed four development design concepts. These concepts are not formal development plans or proposals. The goal of this exercise was to develop and present a wide range of potentially feasible alternatives meant to inform a vision for the station area.

Bringing any of the concept plans to fruition would have a significant economic impact. RPA calculated the potential economic impacts of each development concept, measured by the potential number of jobs, labor earnings, gross domestic product, and local tax revenue generated from the site’s development.

RPA analysis based on RIMS II Type II Multipliers Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Industry Sector: Residential structures (code 2334OR). Northern New Jersey includes Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties.

TOD Concept Design	Bergen County			Northern NJ
	Gross Domestic Product (GDP)	Earnings	Jobs (direct, indirect, and induced)	Gross Domestic Product (GDP)	Earnings	Jobs (direct, indirect, and induced)
1	$40,457,712	$6,883,191	109	$50,694,800	$14,008,148	229
2	$82,049,147	$13,959,267	221	$102,810,191	$28,408,838	465
3A	$154,054,041	$26,209,674	416	$193,034,614	$53,339,937	872
3B	$229,226,941	$38,999,065	619	$287,228,649	$79,367,931	1,298

The project team made several other study area recommendations, including improvements to active transportation and altering zoning and land use policy. Read the full vision plan here.

We’d like to acknowledge the contributions of our collaborators on this project. We appreciate the work done by the teams at NJT Transit-Friendly Planning Program, NV5 Consulting, and Arterial Street Design in creating the Mahwah Station TOD Study and Vision Plan.