'Sleeping giant': NJ Transit eyes affordable housing, sidewalks for Route 9 bus commuters

Could the next round of affordable housing be built along Route 9 in Monmouth County?

NJ Transit is looking into ways to transform Route 9 so that it is becomes a more commuter- and pedestrian-friendly corridor. The ideas, which vary from town to town, could include creating better pedestrian access to bus stops, filling vacant retail spaces with commuter-oriented stores and allowing for more housing along Route 9.

The housing options could include permitting certain single-family homes to build accessory dwellings in the backyard or developers to build apartment buildings along Route 9.

In 2022, NJ Transit received a $470,000 grant from the Federal Transportation Administration to study transit-oriented development along 21 miles from the Aldrich Park and Ride in Howell to the Old Bridge Park and Ride.

In a January Route 9 presentation, Eric Fang, a principal with the design company Perkins Eastman that is leading the NJ Transit study, called the corridor a “sleeping giant.”

About an hour and a half from Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City to Aldrich Park and Ride, Route 9 bus stops are not often thought on par with other transit focused areas in North Jersey. However, when comparing the percentage of residents who take public transit, the Route 9 corridor is comparable with areas such as the Red Bank train station, the Aberdeen Matawan station and the New Brunswick station.

Ten buses, including 63, 64, 67, 68, 130, 132, 136, 139, 818 and Academy’s Wall Express, run along Route 9. In 2019 and pre-pandemic, the 80 bus stops in the study area saw 6,539 weekday boardings.

NJ Transit: Hundreds of bus stops are unmarked in Monmouth, Ocean, confusing riders. Who will fix it?

Danger on the roads

If you ever drove along Route 9 and wondered how someone would walk to some of the bus stops there, you’re not alone. “Sometimes the bus stops are not in the most convenient locations and it’s kind of hard to explain how you would actually get there," Fang said. "Sometimes you feel like you might be taking your own life into your own hands.”

In some cases, bus stops are located on small pavement islands with vehicles exiting on three sides of a busy road such as bus stop 24530 near Freehold Mall. In other cases, the sidewalk itself doesn’t even exist, as with bus stop 24529, about one mile away, near the Barnes and Noble bookstore.

Fang said much of the area surrounding Route 9 was developed around cars with “not that much attention made to pedestrians.”

A consequence of that type of development can be seen in public transit potential and reality. While certain towns like Bradley Beach and Princeton have prioritized public transportation and walkability, many areas surrounding Route 9 are not accessible.

NJ Transit: Access Link riders with disabilities criticize long rides, late pick-ups.

On average, people are willing to walk 10 minutes or 0.5 miles to the nearest public transit stop, according to transit experts. In color coded maps, Fang explained that only certain neighborhoods, if any at all, could access public transit.

Transit-oriented development would move the focus away from car dependency and onto public transit.

It could include creating new pedestrian walkways to the Route 9 bus stops and permit housing to be built around the area.

Traffic safety: Lakewood car crashes have jumped 69% in 20 years. So what are they going to do about it?

Affordable housing

According to the Mount Laurel doctrine, municipalities in New Jersey must provide a certain number of housing units for very low-, low- and moderate-income households. During the pandemic, many municipalities went through a third round of affordable housing approvals. The fourth round is expected to take place between 2025 to 2035.

Affordable housing could be built anywhere. Transit-oriented development would incentivize affordable housing development along Route 9.

Not all areas around Route 9 would be eligible for affordable housing development. According to the Route 9 project overview, environmental and land use would constrain projects in different towns.

Traffic safety: It's getting safer to drive around Brick, but here's why drivers still feel stressed

While Old Bridge has multiple parcels of land that could support apartment buildings, most of the areas around Route 9 in Monmouth County have fewer opportunities. It could include apartments east of Franklin Lane in Manalapan, around the Freehold Raceway Mall and around NJ Transit’s Howell garage. Other options could include allowing single-family homes in the neighborhoods surrounding Route 9 to build accessory dwellings in their backyards.

According to Fang in a February presentation, some of the vacant storefronts along Route 9 could be turned into coffeeshops, dry cleaners or pharmacies that would make returning home late at night feel safer. He said retail areas are becoming outpatient medical centers as health care companies are looking to locate services closer to the communities it serves.

Fang said a study found that 25% of households along Route 9 only have one car, while 5% had no cars. Also, 4,400 households spend more than 50% of their income on rent. He said that the standard for being considered rent-burdened is usually about 25% to 30%.

“You put housing near transit, you don’t have to own that second car, or you’re driving it less, you’re reducing your cost,” he said.

Placing affordable housing away from public transit undercuts the goals of affordable housing, he said.

Currently, the Route 9 plan is in its study phase. Residents can provide feedback and complete a survey at: transit-friendly-planning-njtransit.hub.arcgis.com/pages/route-9-tod-home.

OliviaLiuis a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ Transit Route 9 bus commuters need safer roads, affordable homes