Amazing that Newark is thinking beyond the box. Michele worked in Jersey City's planning office for several years before Newark grabbed her. Sorry to lose her!

May 26, 2010
The City of Newark
For Immediate Release

CITY PLANNER MICHELE ALONSO RECEIVES 2010 NEW JERSEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARDAT HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH CEREMONY IN STATE HOUSE

Newark, NJ ? May 26, 2010 ? Mayor Cory A. Booker and Deputy Mayor of Economic and Housing Development Stefan Pryor announced today that City of Newark Principal Planner and Acting Historic Preservation Officer, Ms. Michele Alonso, received the 2010 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award at a State House ceremony yesterday in Trenton.

Ms. Alonso was honored for her work to preserve historic buildings in the City of Newark, engage and educate residents in the preservation process, and for bringing together students and teachers of the Graduate Historic Preservation Process at Cornell University with local developers to look at vacant private and city-owned historic property to prepare rehabilitation feasibility analyses.

?The City of Newark has a long and glorious architectural history and heritage, and our administration is blessed to have dedicated municipal employees like Michele Alonso, who are committed to preserving that history as a legacy and inspiration to present and future generations,? Mayor Booker said. ?All of Newark is proud of Ms. Alonso and her dedication to our beloved City.?

Ms. Alonso was the only individual who was singled out for the prestigious statewide award at yesterday?s ceremony. The awards were presented as part of the State of New Jersey?s observance of Historic Preservation Month. The other eight awards went to restoration projects, such as Thomas Edison?s Laboratory in West Orange. Also honored were the Trenton Masonic Lodge and a Camden bank, for merging green technologies in preservation of old buildings. ?Old is the New Green? is the theme of this year?s national celebration of Historic Preservation Month. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, historic preservation supports sustainability and is inherently green.

?Michele Alonso is dedicated to preserving Newark?s history as the City redevelops, and we are very proud that her hard work is being recognized. She deserves it,? said Deputy Mayor Pryor.

?I am very honored and humbled to receive this award when there are so many distinguished preservationists doing important work in the state. My degree is in City Planning, but I have integrated historic preservation into my practice throughout my career. I believe that Historic Preservation is important in not only preserving Newark?s rich architectural history for future generations, but that it is a vital tool in the revitalization of Newark. There are so many people to thank, including Mayor Booker, whose support has enabled the work that I do ? it is truly a team effort,? said Ms. Alonso.

?These Historic Preservation awards honor the best and brightest ? those sites that have come to embody New Jersey?s rich history and those people who are passionate about seeing our past preserved,? DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. ?Among those honored are efforts that saved Thomas Edison?s laboratory complex in West Orange from deterioration, Ms. Alonso?s passion for preserving her City?s great buildings, and a simple barn in Readington that serves as a trailhead for lovers of the outdoors.?

The awards program increases public awareness of historic preservation, recognizes volunteer contributions to preserve historic resources, acknowledges projects of excellent quality, and recognizes the contributions by individuals, organizations, and agencies to preserve and advocate for historic preservation.

Michele Alonso has been a practicing professional planner for 14 years, with an emphasis on integrating historic preservation with urban redevelopment, mostly in Jersey City and Newark. She is also the Northeast Representative of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association, coordinating educational events and tours for planners.

Ms. Alonso is a licensed Professional Planner for the State of New Jersey and certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). She holds a Master?s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, and a Bachelor?s Degree in Sociology from Drew University.

Since the Booker Administration took office in July 2006, the Division of Planning and Community Development, which comes under the Department of Economic and Housing Development, has worked tirelessly to promote sound revitalization strategies and land use in the City, including update the City of Newark?s Master Plan, which had not been updated in more than 25 years. The new 106-page document, with 76 pages of additional illustrations and bibliography, took the division a year to research and complete. The recommendations are organized three major themes: Jobs for Residents, Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods, and Newark as a City of Choice. The report also emphasizes the need to create a new culture of planning with a commitment to government transparency and improving citizen interaction with municipal government.

The Division?s other efforts have ben to promote sustainable design in the City, starting with promoting alternatives to ?Box? two-to-three family development and propose changes to the municipal zoning ordinances ? doing so for the first time since 1956 ? that would support these alternatives. This program received the ?Outstanding Community Engagement or Education Award? for 2009 from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association. The Division has also revised the zoning ordinance and land-use policies, to reflect modern and environmentally-friendly planning practices, while ensuring that the City?s development also respects Newark?s architectural heritage and its residents? current needs, including a major revision to the City sign ordinance. The Division also won two NJ Future Awards in 2008 for the Living Downtown Redevelopment Plan, and the Broad Street Station Redevelopment Plan, two initiatives to create a vibrant ?24/7? downtown.

The award-winning ?Beyond the Box? initiative includes new regulations and two documents designed as easy-to-use, illustrative tools for interpreting and applying the new zoning code. One is a 40-page comprehensive booklet, entitled ?The Box and Beyond: Urban Design Issues for Infill Houses in Newark,? while the other is a four-page illustrated brochure entitled ?Newark?s New Zoning Standards for 1, 2-, and 3-Family Dwellings.? It uses a ?dos? and ?don?ts? format to quickly and clearly convey the new regulations and educate the public on the issues.

In addition the division has also revised zoning and construction ordinances and policies, to reflect modern technology and support environmentally-friendly practices, while ensuring that the City?s development also respects Newark?s architectural heritage and its residents? current needs. In addition, the Division has partnered with the Trust for Public Land to design and build Newark?s first riverfront park along the Passaic River. The division and TPL will work together to manage the project, which includes a broad public engagement process to inform residents about the design of the park.