Millburn's planned pedestrian safety upgrades at the Short Hills Train Station will go before the Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Millburn Free Public Library, 200 Glen Ave.

The station at 25 Chatham Road is classified as a Key Contributing Property in the Short Hills Park Historic District. That designation triggers the HPC review, even though the township itself is the applicant. It is an unusual arrangement in which the governing body seeks input from one of its own boards.

The HPC agenda lists the item as Application #650, covering pedestrian safety improvements and other exterior site changes. The review is advisory. The commission's recommendation would not be binding.

The project focuses on the eastbound side of the station and Chatham Road. Proposed changes include extended sidewalks, narrowed lanes, curb bumpouts and a new all-way stop at Hobart Avenue and Station Plaza, as TAPinto reported in July.

A $479,000 Safe Streets to Transit grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation is helping fund the work, Business Administrator Alexander McDonald told the Township Committee at its March 17 meeting. The grant requires the township to begin construction before the end of 2026, according to the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board's Feb. 9 meeting minutes. Extensions were described as unlikely.

The township held multiple public outreach sessions before reaching this stage. Committeeman Jamie Serruto reported on an information session at the April 21 Township Committee meeting and said the township would try to start the project before year-end. The township hosted another session on June 24 at the Millburn Free Public Library. "We had multiple information sessions and are looking to come to a final decision shortly," Serruto said at the July 14 Township Committee meeting, as reported by TAPinto on July 23.

The Township Committee authorized bidding for the project at that same July 14 meeting, though the design was not yet final. McDonald said at the time that the authorization was placed on the agenda so the township could move quickly once the layout was approved.

Since then, the township has been preparing materials for the HPC. At the Aug. 11 Township Committee meeting, Mayor Saccomandi confirmed that commission members would receive project drawings. Resident Christine Best asked for more detailed historic-sensitive drawings at the same meeting.

The HPC is chaired by Alison Canfield, with Township Committeeman David Cosgrove serving as liaison. The specific design plans the township will present on Oct. 8 have not been publicly posted, and the exact scope of exterior changes remains unclear ahead of the meeting.

The commission's next regular meeting after Oct. 8 is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, at the same location.