Obituary of Stuart Meck

Stuart Meck died on April 15, 2018. Stuart was born on August 31, 1947 to Toby and David Meck of South Euclid, Ohio. A graduate of Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Ohio, he earned a B.A. and an M.A. in Journalism and Master of City Planning from The Ohio State University as well as an M.B.A. from Wright State University. A specialist in planning statute reform and land use controls, Stuart was a national president of the American Planning Association from 1989 to 1991, with 45 years of experience as a professional planner, researcher, and municipal administrator. His two major works include the Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook: Model Statutes for Planning and the Management of Change -- for which he served as principal investigator and general editor -- and, with Kenneth Pearlman, Ohio Planning and Zoning Law. Both texts are in annual publication. He was a planning consultant for an array of local, state, national and international agencies, among them the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Czech Republic; the Fannie Mae Foundation; the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands; Hillsborough County, Florida; and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For the last 15 years of his career, Stuart was Associate Research Professor and Director of the Center for Planning Practice in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. He also served as an adjunct associate professor for the Master of Arts in Historic Preservation program at Goucher College. Stuart was a pioneer for the Smart Growth movement in the United States, which equips local governments with the practical tools to help combat urban sprawl, protect farmland, promote affordable housing, and encourage redevelopment. An avid jazz musician and enthusiast, Stuart attended the annual North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands for more than three decades. His daughter, Lindsay, began joining him when she was just four years old; these European trips instilled in her a love for the arts, which she has cultivated throughout her own career in theater and production. Lindsay's mother, Kathy Ellison -- Stuart's former wife of 33 years -- passed away in 2014. Stuart is survived by his daughter, Lindsay Meck of New York City; sister and brother-in-law, Roberta and Steven Keenholtz of Marblehead, Massachusetts; nieces, Erica Crisses (Alex) and Dana Brand (Steven); nephew, Ross Keenholtz (Suzie); and cat, Lentil. In lieu of a service, the family will be establishing a lecture series at Rutgers University. "The "Stuart Meck Memorial Lecture" will highlight the work of experts, emerging scholars, and professionals focused on land use law and affordable housing. Contributions may be made to the New Jersey Jazz Society (382 Springfield Avenue, Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901, or njjs.org), or the family recommends you visit and enjoy a public park. Arrangements are entrusted to Selover Funeral Home, 555 George's Road, North Brunswick.