Demonstration Projects
What is a Demonstration Project?
In June, 2005, the State Treasurer officially designated six Demonstration Projects. They are in Trenton, Camden, East Orange, Vineland, Union City and New Brunswick.
Demonstration Projects are school facilities projects that incorporate community design features and are coordinated with wider community economic redevelopment. Community design features include athletic venues, child-care centers, health clinics and media centers accessible to both students and residents.
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Under Section 6 of the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act, the SCC – predecessor to the SDA – was authorized to review and recommend up to six school facilities projects to the State Treasurer for designation as Demonstration Projects. To apply, districts and municipalities submitted a joint application to SCC for designation of a particular facilities project within the district’s long-range facilities plan (LRFP) as a demonstration project.
Who comprised the Demonstration Project teams?
Each school district was part of a team, which included a municipal redevelopment entity and a redeveloper/developer.A local redevelopment entity could be one of four governmental bodies:
- Municipal governing body
- Local housing authority
- Redevelopment agency
- County improvement authority
How were the Demonstration Projects evaluated?
Demonstration Projects were evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Furthering of local objectives such as land use, transportation, utilities, recreation and community facilities.
- Significant social and economic benefits.
- Consistency with local redevelopment plans and incorporation of community design features.
- Capacity and prior experience of redevelopment entity/redeveloper teams.
- Availability of funding for community spaces that had been ineligible for SCC funding.
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