Prominent NJ Planner Links Profession With Protecting the Public Interest

Written by: Paul Eisenman on Jan 27, 2008 6:01 PM EST

Linked to groups: Bergen Grassroots

Joseph H. Burgis, a community planner whose Westwood, NJ firm is a major factor in professional planning, urban design and landscape architecture in northern New Jersey, will speak and answer questions about his field of expertise at the meeting of Bergen Grassroots on Wednesday, Feb. 6 starting at 7:15pm. His topic is "Planning In Your Community: Protecting the Public Interest."

Joe Burgis brings a wealth of experience to his talk at Bergen Grassroots, where he will describe how residents can work to protect the public interest when their community is in the midst of a planning cycle. Don't miss this opportunity to find out everything you want to know about the relationship among residents, Planning Boards, Zoning Boards and professional planners.

At the regular monthly meetings, there is always fresh news about international, national, state, county and local events and happenings that command the interest of progressives. The group has a number of ongoing activities and projects.

Bergen Grassroots (bergengrassroots.org) meets regularly—and publicly—on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:15pm in the auditorium of the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, 687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck. Refreshments are served.

We anticipate a high level of public interest in Mr. Burgis's talk and Q&A session. The representative list of his company's clients includes Allendale, Alpine, Elmwood Park, Emerson, Franklin Lakes, Garfield, Hasbrouck Heights, Hawthorne, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Mahwah, Oakland, Old Tappan, Oradell, Paramus, Park Ridge, and Rochelle Park. Therefore, we encourage Grassrooters to use our Website, bergengrassroots.org, to sign up to attend.

About Joe Burgis

Mr. Burgis earned a Masters of City and Regional Planning degree from Rutgers 33 years ago and has been actively engaged in the field since. Mr. Bergis has represented more than 40 municipalities in his career, including communities in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic and Sussex counties in the Garden State and Nassau, Rockland and Putnam counties in New York State. Burgis Associates was founded in 1996, succeeding Stewart/Burgis, Inc., which had been formed in 1988.

His and his firm's responsibilities have included preparation of master plan elements, central-business-district analyses, and redevelopment plans. Other skills include the preparation of land-use regulations, in particular performance-based zoning mechanisms, planned development regulations and site-design criteria. Mr. Burgis also has been active in the preparation of housing plans and the COAH certification process.

Since 1986, he has lectured on "Site Plan Review and Approval" at Rutgers. Beginning in 1993 to date, he has lectured on "Land Use Planning" for Land Use Seminars sponsored by the Bergen County Bar Association.

Tags:
Location: NJ 07010