State Planning

The Office of Smart Growth has posted its Draft Final New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan on its website.  Supporting documents include the Impact Assessment, Infrastructure Needs Assessment, and Population, Employment & Household Projections prepared by the Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research under the direction of Dr. Robert Burchell.  The center is projecting that New Jersey’s population will grow by 745,777 and employment will increase by 262,000 over the next 20 years (the projections take into account the recession).

Note:  The State Plan that is currently in effect (especially for application of Permit Extension Act of 2008) was adopted by the State Planning Commission on March 1, 2001.

The 2001 State Plan and the State Plan Polcy map, can be found on the Office of Smart Growth website. A link to the Office of Smart Growth website is listed under "Additional Resources" on this page.  Additional links to State Plan information are below.

Residential Site Improvement Standards

The Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS) establish municipal standards for streets, sidewalks, stormwater, and water and sewer systems. These standards are the minimum that can be proposed by the developer and the maximum that can be required by the municipality. They are reviewed by the Site Improvement Advisory Board and updated annually. The RSIS can be found on the DCA Division of Codes and Standards website. A link is listed under “Additional Resources” on this page.

Pinelands
The Pinelands Commission has regulatory authority over approximately 900,000 acres in seven counties and 53 municipalities. The regulations are part of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP). The Pinelands counties and municipalities must conform to the CMP. The commission posts many reports and agendas for commission and committee meetings, including the CMP. In addition, it includes a link to download the packet for the monthly commission meeting. The link to the Pinelands Commission website and CMP are listed under “Additional Resources” on this page.
Redevelopment

Redevelopment in New Jersey is governed by the “Local Redevelopment and Housing Law” (N.J.S.A. 40A:12A). This law gives municipalities the authority to designate redevelopment areas and name a redeveloper for the area. There is no state agency with oversight responsibility for the local redevelopment process although the DCA commissioner does have to sign off on the designation if the redevelopment area is not in a smart growth area.

The New Jersey Brownfields Task Force has created a site mart of some sites available for redevelopment. The New Jersey Department of Transportation encourages the development of Transit Villages. Links to these websites are listed under “Additional Resources” on this page.

For brownfields regulatory information, please see NJBA's Environmental page

NJBA Comment Letters to Highlands Council

NJBA has submitted comment letters to the Highlands Council on prior Regional Master Plan (RMP) drafts.  As the Council continues to release information, and modify its schedule and procedures, NJBA anticipates that it will file additional supplemental comments.

New Jersey Residential Demographic Multipliers Report

David Listokin of Rutgers University Center for Urban Policy Research has published his revision to the New Jersey residential demographic multipliers report, Who Lives in New Jersey Housing?: A Quick Guide to New Jersey Residential Demographic Multipliers. This report is available for download from the Office of Smart Growth Publication Catalog web page. The report is publication # 177 and the download is 1911k

Presentation to the Pinelands Commission

NJBA 7/27/07 presentation to the Pinelands Commission recommending changes to the PDC program.

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)

The “State Transfer of Development Rights Act” was enacted on March 29, 2004. It authorizes municipalities in New Jersey to create a transfer of development rights program by ordinance. Under TDR, development rights are transferred from a sending area to a receiving area. These sending and receiving areas need not be in the same municipality or even same county, if the municipalities develop a joint program.

The Department of Community Affairs has awarded TDR demonstration grants to municipalities throughout the state. All of the details and specifics of the municipal TDR programs (e.g., sending and receiving areas, densities, costs) have to be worked out in the individual programs. More information about TDR and the demonstration grants are listed on the OSG website. The link is listed under “Additional Resources” on this page.

BPU Utility Extensions
On December 20, 2004, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) adopted new rules that became effective on March 20, 2005. Starting with this March date, the BPU will begin a phasing program that will require that the cost for the extension of utility service outside of a smart growth area will be charged to developers. This shift in cost was fully phased in by March 20, 2007. Using complicated formulas, costs for utility extensions in smart growth areas are supposed to be reduced. These BPU rules were summarized in the January 10, 2005 special issue of Dimensions. A link to the BPU rules is listed under “Additional Resources” on this page.

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