ABOUT
Thomas Planning Associates (TPA) was formed in 2002 by Thomas A. Thomas and was later joined by his son Andrew in 2004. Tom and Andy worked for a large engineering and planning company prior to starting the firm. TPA provides progressive planning solutions for municipalities, counties, and private sector clients to ensure client satisfaction and success. TPA has experience and technical knowledge and expertise in municipal, county, state, regional, environmental and land development regulations. The firm provides clients with design, regulatory and planning policy expertise for a broad range of planning and land development programs.
TPA has prepared hundreds of master plans, land development and zoning ordinances, housing and fair share plans, historical protection regulations, environmental studies, demographic analyses, plan endorsement recommendations and site plan and subdivision planning reviews.
Thomas Planning Associates regularly provides expert planning testimony for private clients before planning boards, zoning boards of adjustment, and courts throughout New Jersey. Typically expert planning testimony is accompanied by exhibits including aerial and other digital mapping, database summaries, and photographs which are prepared in-house.
Thomas A. Thomas, P.P.
(1941-2022)
Tom passed on February 11, 2022. He was well known and respected throughout the state for his work as a professional planner and made countless contributions to the planning profession and the communities he served for 50 years.
Tom was a member and also served as an advisor and instructor for the New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) for more than 30 years and received both an individual award and awards for planning achievement from NJPO for work in municipalities and counties. Tom was a charter member of both the American Planning Association (APA) and American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Tom became a licensed professional planner in 1972 after graduating from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Urban Planning (1963) and went on to earn his master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers (1973).
His professional planning experience included the University of Arkansas Community Planning Division (1963-1964); Buchart Horn Planning Division, York, PA (1964-1966); Herbert H. Smith Associates Planning Consultants, West Trenton, NJ (1969-1973); Director of Ocean County Planning Board (1973-1977); President of Townplan Associates and Planning Division Director of T&M Associates (1977-2002); and founder of Thomas Planning Associates in 2002, which his son Andrew later joined as partner and now serves as president.
During Tom's long career as a planning consultant, he prepared master plans, zoning ordinances, natural resource inventories and many other special planning studies in more than 120 municipalities in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Arkansas. Tom was a charter member of the New Jersey Information Technology Council; past member of the New Jersey County Planners Association, Monmouth-Ocean Development Council, Southern New Jersey Development Council, Ocean County United Way and other boards and agencies. He served on advisory committees for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and other state agencies. Tom also served as an instructor for the Rutgers University Extension Program, Ocean County College, and adjunct professor at Stockton University.
Andrew Thomas, P.P.
President
Mr. Thomas has more than 25 years of planning experience. He is currently President of Thomas Planning Associates and has been with the firm for 16 years. Mr. Thomas is a licensed Professional Planner in the state of New Jersey, has a Masters in City Planning with a concentration in growth management. He is a past member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Mr. Thomas testifies on a regular basis on behalf of clients before planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment and has been qualified as a professional planner in more than 70 municipalities throughout New Jersey. Mr. Thomas provides planning consulting services on an on-going basis to several municipalities in Monmouth County. He is highly skilled in geographic information systems (GIS), computer cartography, spreadsheet programs and the organization and display of complex arrays of data and information. He has prepared numerous G.I.S. mapping programs for municipalities, counties and utility authorities in New Jersey and other states along the east coast. Mr. Thomas also prepares computerized conceptual subdivision and commercial site layouts for private clients.