Overview of Collection
Dudley Woodbridge
HM1 MSS Reg Plan
Morris County Regional Planning Collection
1949–2005
3.5 linear feet in 3 manuscript boxes and 1 oversized box
History of Regional Planning in Morris County
The country’s first regional plan was created in 1909 in Chicago. New York followed in 1922, establishing the Regional Plan Association (RPA) covering New York City and its surrounding metropolitan areas in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The RPA released its first Regional Plan in 1929.
Morris County established a citizens’ organization for the advancement of regional planning in 1930 called the Morris County Planning Council. The Council was under the direction of Major George W. Farny (ca.1872–1941), who at the time owned Craftsman Farms (now the Stickley Museum). Farny went on to become chairman of the New Jersey State Planning Board, whose purpose was to create other local planning boards.
The Morris County Planning Board was established by the Board of Chosen Freeholders (now known as the Board of County Commissioners) on April 14, 1937, with Major George W. Farny as its chairman. A publication titled
Morris County and the Regional Plan: Just What This Great Enterprise Means to the County and Particularly to the Community in Which You Live was published by the Morris County Planning Board and the Regional Plan Association in 1939. It urged that the county’s growing population would be best served by a consistent plan, and suggested establishing a county park system, advocated for adding parkways to the existing highway system, expressed the need for direct public transportation into New York City, and stressed the importance of preserving water supplies, forests, and streams while taking into consideration the need for flood control, especially of the Passaic River. It also called for a considered development plan and improved zoning.
The first meeting of the Morris County Planning Board was held on March 28, 1951. Some of the topics discussed were flooding, building (including a scarcity of building materials) and Morris County’s scenic beauty. The Morris County Planning board is responsible for adopting a county master plan showing the Board’s recommendations for future development, advising the Board of County Commissioners in adopting an official county map, and reviewing and approving land subdivisions and site plans for land development which affect county land or drainage.
Biographical Note
The material in the Morris County Regional Planning Collection was donated by Dudley Woodbridge (1928–2014) and includes items collected over the career of a regional planner. Mr. Woodbridge was born in Rochester, MN and received a bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore College, followed by a Masters in Urban Planning at MIT. He was hired as a Junior Planner at the Morris County Planning Board in 1955 and went on to become Planning Director in 1962. He continued in that role until he retired in 1992, and also served on the Morris County Board of Transportation until 2012. Mr. Woodbridge had a personal interest in automotive history and design (including road design), but also spent much of his career promoting public transportation. He lived most of his life in Morristown and spent the last few years of his life in Clinton, CT.
References:
HM Plan Mor,
Morris County and the Regional Plan: Just What This Great Enterprise Means to the County and Particularly to the Community in Which You Live, Morris County Planning Board, 1939
H2 Tabe Del,
The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad in the Twentieth Century, Thomas T. Taber and Thomas T. Taber III, 1980
Morris County Planning Board (morriscountynj.gov/Departments/Planning-and-Preservation/Boards-Committees/Planning-Board)
Regional Plan Association (rpa.org)
Dudley Woodbridge obituary (legacy.com)
Find a Grave (findagrave.com)
Related material in this repository:
HM Plan Mas; Morris County Master Plan
HVFG (vertical files):
Morris County – Planning (Morris 2000)
Morris County – Planning Board
Morris Township – Planning
Morristown – Planning
New Jersey – Planning
New Jersey – Regional Planning (microfilm)
Scope and Content Note
The Morris County Regional Planning Collection includes publications of the Morris County Planning Board and other regional planning agencies, correspondence relating to regional planning, reports, press releases, memos, and Morris County maps.
Topics include transportation, waste management, water supply, air quality, roads, population, development, the environment, and flood control. The material in this collection may be of use to public policy scholars, current regional planning board members, and those with an interest in the history of regional planning in Morris County.
Arrangement of the Records
Some of the material originally donated was already in the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center’s collections. Other material which was out of the scope of regional planning was separated into other collections. Some mold-affected items were discarded; the damage was the result of a 2025 flood. Most discarded items are held at other institutions. Full lists of separated and removed material are in Box 1.
The records are arranged into six series by regional planning topic:
Series I: Regional Planning, 1949–2002; not dated.
This series contains general regional planning material including publications by the Morris County Planning Board and other local regional planning agencies, meeting minutes, memos, conference meeting notes, news releases, and maps.
Series II: Morris County Master Plan documents, 1971–1989.
Series II contains publications of various elements of the Morris County Master Plan, published by the Morris County Planning Board. The North Jersey History and Genealogy Center has other versions and elements in its collection (HM Plan Mas).
Series III: Development, ca.1960–1987.
This series contains reports and publications about development in Morris County and New Jersey as a whole.
Series IV: Transportation, 1955–2005; not dated.
Transportation includes material on the planning and management of both public transportation and roads. This series contains notes and a statement on highways from Dudley Woodbridge, as well as a letter regarding a railroad fare increase. Other material includes publications about public transportation planning, road planning and traffic impact, memos outlining county gasoline usage during the 1970s energy crisis, and publications and reports about road placement and relocations. The series contains a statement and report in support of railroads by Thomas T. Taber (1899–1975), who served for twelve years as the Chairman of the Board of Public Transportation of Morris County. Taber, a railroad historian, advocated heavily to save New Jersey’s railroads during a time when governments were pushing for new roads.
Series V: Environment, 1969–1982.
Series V consists of reports, memos, and notes about environmental concerns including soil surveys, improving environmental conditions for residents, and air quality.
Series VI: Waste, 1964–1997.
This series contains reports and studies related to solid waste management throughout Morris County, as well as proposed wastewater management improvements to address pollution in the Rockaway River Basin.
Series VII: Water, 1978–1995.
Documents in this series deal with water: water supply, storm water, and flood control. Included are Passaic River flood studies and aerial photo analysis by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, stormwater management guidelines for Morris County, and a New Jersey water supply master plan.
Important Information for Users of the Records
The records are open for research under the conditions of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center archives access policy. All archival material should be handled with care and kept in its original order; notes may only be taken in pencil or with a computer, and food and drink are prohibited in the Reading Room. Records may be copied for use in individual scholarly or personal research, however, as with all materials in the History and Genealogy Center, researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use material from the collection.
Material in the Morris County Regional Planning Collection may be photocopied, but because this material is a permanent part of the History and Genealogy Centerʼs collections, researchers are advised to photocopy with care, using only the edge copier for bound material. A digital camera or cell phone without a flash may also be used.
Acquisition Information
The material for the collection was given to the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center in 2009 by Dudley Woodbridge, who was the Planning Director at the Morris County Planning Board from 1962 until his retirement in 1992.
Preferred Citation
Morris County Regional Planning Collection, 1949–2005. North Jersey History and Genealogy Center, The Morristown and Morris Township Library.
Processing Information
Collection processed, described, and encoded by Shayna Marchese, Assistant Archivist, 2026.
Container List
Series I: Regional Planning, 1949–2005; not dated.
1 1
Receipt of donation, finding aid, separation records, and archive information, 2009–2026.
1 2
Planning Progress 1959, Morris County Planning Board, 1959.
1 3
Planning Progress 1965, Morris County Planning Board, 1965.
1 4
Regional Plan Association: meeting minutes and publications, 1956–1979.
1
27th Annual Meeting Minutes, 1956.
1
Regional Plan News, 1956, 1957, 1964.
1
The Planning Bookshelf, 1957, 1961.
1
Zoning Bulletin, 1961, 1962, 1964.
1
Transportation memo, 1964.
1
The Region’s Agenda, 1970–1983 (incomplete).
1
The Case for the Tri-State Transportation Commission memo, 1964.
1
News release on opposition to completion of I-287, 1975.
1
News release in support of Green Acres bond issue, 1978.
1
50 Year anniversary brochure, 1979.
1 5
Regional Plan Association: N.J. Conference meeting notes, November 1961.
1 6
Regional Plan Association, N.J. Committee, 1962–1963.
1 7
New Jersey Federation of Official Planning Boards: Special meeting of executive committee, The Federation Planner; 1961.
1 8
Regional planning agencies: publications and memos, 1956–1964, not dated.
1
Jersey Plans, Department of Conservation and Economic Development, 1956.
1
Annual Report of the Executive Director, New Jersey State League of Municipalities, 1956.
1
1960 census memo, Metropolitan Council of Planning Agencies, 1961.
1
Bulletin, Metropolitan Regional Council, 1961.
1
County Planners Conference Agenda, New Jersey Division of State and Regional Planning, 1963.
1
Our Architectural Heritage historic buildings list, Morris County Planning Board, 1964.
1
Proposed Statement of Purpose, New Jersey County Planners Association, not dated.
1 9
The Need for Regional Planning in New Jersey: A Pilot Study Based on Morris County; prepared by Morris County Council, League of Women Voters; January 1961.
1 10
Reinvest in New Jersey: Put Our Federal Tax Dollars to Work, National Priorities Project & Citizens Budget Campaign, 1992.
1 11
Morris Matters: A Quarterly Publication of the Morris County Department of Planning and Development, 1994, 2000.
1 12
Morris County population: miscellaneous population lists, Population and Economic Base Study of Morris County, New Jersey; Morris County Planning Board; 1969, not dated.
1 13
Morris County maps, 1949–2002, not dated.
1
Morris County map, 1949.
1
Morristown map, 1956.
1
Morris County map, 1949.
1
Morris County map, 1949.
1
Official County Map: County of Morris – New Jersey, 1959, 1990.
1
Map of Morris County, 1961, 1969.
1
Historical Transportation Routes, 1967.
1
Public Transportation Guide to Morris County, 1985.
1
Existing Land Use, Morris County, N.J., 1990.
1
Morris County Road Construction Map, 1997.
1
Morris County Bicycle & Pedestrian User Guide, 2002.
1
Lake Passaic map, not dated.
Series II: Morris County Master Plan documents, 1971–1989.
1 14
Morris County Master Plan: Sanitary Sewerage Facilities Element, 1971.
1 15
Morris County Master Plan: Water Supply Element, 1982.
2 1
Morris County Master Plan: Wastewater Management Element, 1985.
2 2
Morris County Master Plan: Open Space Element, October 1988.
2 3
Morris County Master Plan: Circulation Element, Analysis of Existing Transportation Networks, 1989.
2 4
Morris County Master Plan: Circulation Element, Model Validation Report, 1989.
Series III: Development, c.1960–1987; not dated.
2 5
Montville Township, New Jersey: The Model Community for the Model Industrial Park, Montville Township Industrial Commission, c.1960.
2 6
The Land Development Standards of the County of Morris, New Jersey, 1971.
2 7
1985 Development Plan, Morris Region, New Jersey; 1985.
2 8
New Jersey State Development & Redevelopment Plan, Prepared for Foundation for the Preservation of the American Dream, Phase I: Critique, December 1987.
Series IV: Transportation, 1955–2005.
2 9
Transportation notes and memos, Dudley Woodbridge, 1955, 1994, not dated.
2
Notes on routing of I-287, not dated.
2
Memo on meeting of Route 24 Alignment Committee, 1959.
2
Statement for Public Hearing Concerning Amending the Official County Map [urging not to remove the extension of Route 24 west of I-287 from the Morris County map], 1994.
2 10
Railroad statements and memos: Dudley Woodbridge, Thomas T. Taber, 1955–1971.
2
Pennsylvania Railroad fare receipt, ca.1955.
2
Agenda: Inter-municipal and county meeting to discuss the responsibilities of, and active participation by, counties and municipalities, in the preservation and improvement of public transportation facilities and services, for the benefit of the travelling taxpayers; includes listing for Transportation Planning, by Dudley Woodbridge, 1964.
2
Memo (draft): N.J. State Highway Department Division of Railroad Transportation Proposed Passenger Service Contract, Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Company, Fiscal Year 1964–65; Thomas T. Tauber, Chairman of the Board of Public Transportation of Morris County, ca.1964.
2
Statement of Thomas T. Taber, Chairman of the Board of Public Transportation of Morris County, to the State Tax Policy Commission, Regarding Railroad Taxation, 1964.
2
Memo: Erie-Lackawanna Railway Company, specification of new cars for use in suburban service on New Jersey railroads, 1969.
2
Statement of Dudley H. Woodbridge, Planning Director, Morris County Planning Board, in regard to the proposal to increase in Erie-Lackawanna Railway fares, 1971.
2 11
Citizens’ Committees: New Jersey Citizens Highway Committee memo; Morris County Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program Citizens' Advisory Committee By-Laws; 1961, not dated.
2 12
Recommended Relocation of N.J. Route 24, Morris County Planning Board, 1955.
2 13
Proposal for the Relocation of Parsippany Road in the Vicinity of Proposed Interstate Route 80; Morris County Planning Board, ca. 1962.
2 14
1970s energy crisis, 1979, not dated.
2
County Administrator of Morris County gasoline usage memos, 1979.
2
OPEC Strikes Again gaming simulation, not dated.
2 15
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, c.1980–2005.
2
NJTPA maps and transportation statistics, ca. 1980, 1995.
2
NJTPA area and region maps, 1995.
2
Regional Transportation Plan: Access & Mobility 2030, Executive Summary, 2005.
2
Are We There Yet? Progress Toward the Region’s Transportation Goals, 2005.
3 1
Florham Park Traffic: Traffic Impact Assessment: Florham Park Corporate Centre, Florham Park, New Jersey; Florham Park Planning Board correspondence; 1986–1988.
3 2
County of Morris 1992 Trip Generation Study; Department of Planning and Development, Division of Transportation Management; 1992.
3 3
1993 Morris County Park and Ride Report: An Analysis of Selected Sites; Morris County Department of Planning and Development, Division of Transportation Management; 1993.
3 4
Morris County Annual Report: Subregional Transportation Planning Program; Morris County Department of Planning and Development, Division of Transportation Management; 1995.
3 5
1996 Morris County Land Use and Rail Database: Railroad Characteristics, Property Inventory, and Parcel Profiles; Morris County Department of Planning and Development, Division of Transportation Management; 1996.
3 6
Morris County 1996 Subregional Transportation Profile; Morris County Department of Planning and Development, Division of Transportation Management; 1996.
3 7
Northeast Morris County Bus Service Feasibility Study; Morris County Department of Planning and Development, Division of Transportation Management; June 2000.
Series V: Environment, 1969–1982.
3 8
Information Report: Community Planning and Soil Surveys, New Jersey Federation of Planning Officials, 1969.
3 9
Morris Area Planning Advisory Committee Goal Panel: Optimal Environmental Quality, 1979–1980.
3
MAPAC meeting minutes, November 1, 1979.
3
Goal Area V Planning Report: Optimal Environmental Quality, August, 18, 1980.
3 10
Morris County Air Quality Transportation Report, memo, and notes; Morris County Planning Board; 1982.
Series VI: Waste, 1964–1997.
3 11
Refuse disposal study: Morris County, N.J.; report and press release, Morris County Planning Board; 1964.
3 12
Morris County Solid Waste Management, 1979–1982.
3
Morris County Solid Waste Advisory Council seminar on recycling invitation, 1979.
3
Morris County Solid Waste Management Plan Modifications, draft report, October 1980.
3
Statement of Carl E. Erickson (Vice Chairman of the Morris County Solid Waste Advisory Council) at a hearing to receive testimony on the implementation by the states of solid waste management plans and their impact on water quality and supply, April 16, 1982.
3 13
Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, c.1980s, 1997.
3
Proposed Alternative Plans for Abatement of Pollution in Rockaway River Basin press release, c.1980s.
3
The Wragtimes: The Water, Recycling, and Garbage Times newsletter, 1997.
4 [OS] 1
Borough of Morris Plains Sanitary Sewer System, October 1969.
Series VII: Water, 1978–1995.
3 14
Morris County Stormwater Management Technical Guide; Goodkind & O’Dea, Inc., Engineers and Planners in conjunction with Morris County Stormwater Management Committee; October 1988.
4 [OS] 2
State of N.J. Statewide Water Supply Master Plan: Interconnections Maps, interim report, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, January 1978.
4 [OS] 4
Appendix A: Air photo environmental analysis of the Passaic River Basin, N.J. and N.Y., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers N.Y. District, July 1978.
4 [OS] 5
Upper Passaic River poster sheets, Upper Passaic River Environmental Council, 1976.
4 [OS] 6
Passaic River Buyout Study Floodplain Delineations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers N.Y. District, September 1995.
4 [OS] 7
Passaic River Floodway Buyout Study Floodway Delineations: Supplement to the Passaic River Basin Buyout Study, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers N.Y. District, October 1995.
4 [OS] 8
General Design Memorandum, Passaic River Flood Damage Reduction Project; draft report; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers N.Y. District; September 1995.
4 [OS] 9
General Design Memorandum, Passaic River Flood Damage Reduction Project, Appendix C – Hydrology & Hydraulics; draft report; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers N.Y. District; September 1995.