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The Kingston Village Advisory Committee (KVAC) is a government appointed organization whose role is to be an advocate for solutions to key quality-of-life issues facing the village of Kingston.

In May 2001, the work of the Joint Citizens Advisory Task Force for the Village of Kingston with local, county and state planners over several years resulted in the State Planning Commission giving Kingston Designated Village Center (VCD) status in the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. Village Center status ensures that many of the planning goals of Kingston are incorporated formally into the State Plan, thus making it easier to obtain grant funds for local initiatives. At the same time the Environs of the Center were designated.

In accordance with the requirements of the VCD designation was the creation of a Village Center Advisory Committee with the New Jersey Office of State Planning. A seven-person committee was jointly appointed by Franklin and South Brunswick Townships in early 2002 with the primary goal to ensure that the Planning and Implementation Agenda (PIA) for the Village Center (and its Environs) is actively pursued by all relevant parties, to maintain communication between the Village and the Office of State Planning and advise and assist the Townships on matters related to the Village of Kingston.

The PIA addresses specific items under the general headings of land use, economic development, transportation, natural resource conservation, recreation, historic preservation and inter-governmental coordination. All affect the quality of life of the residents of Kingston; many also are regional issues.

Our top priorities for 2002 included working towards the development and preservation of a Greenbelt surrounding the village, including the preservation of the Princeton Nurseries property and the Laurel Avenue School as a Town Common, working with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) on a bicycle/pedestrian study, working with South Brunswick Township (SBT) on creating an Historic Preservation ordinance, continued work on traffic issues to maintain Kingston as a walkable historic community and addressing burgeoning commuter traffic throughout the Village and its Environs.

KVAC continues to make steady progress toward our goals works closely with the two townships. Approximately 75% of the greenbelt has been preserved; numerous improvements have been made on Main Street, including a sidewalk from the village center to the Delaware and Raritan Canal; large trucks have been restricted on most of the local roads; Route 92 has been defunded and thus, stops a major highway from imposing a devastating impact on Kingston. New trails and bikeways have been initiated and new trees have been planted along several roads. Much work still needs to be done, and KVAC will continue to work with Franklin and South Brunswick Townships to improve all conditions in the village and to ensure that all of the goals are accomplished.

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