October 18, 2011
NEWS
Walmart Goes Green With Solar, Wind (Piniat, Lacey Patch) Lacey, Ocean County
“Walmart has confirmed that the company is pursuing a solar energy project at the Lanoka Harbor location in addition to its plan to install wind turbines in the parking lot as part of its renewable energy initiative.”
Warehouse boom in Robbinsville is just one part of regional trend (Clerkin, The Times of Trenton) Robbinsville, Mercer County
“A new flurry of activity in Robbinsville’s warehouse sector is turning the township’s industrial parks into major employers, as a spate of businesses that have recently settled in the area have generated nearly 500 local jobs in the past two years, township officials said.”
OPINION
Zoning denial for N.J. medical marijuana facility is classic NIMBY case (Staff Editorial, The Times of Trenton) Maple Shade, Camden County
“The zoning board in Maple Shade last week turned down a plan for location of a medical marijuana facility in the township.”
October 13, 2011
Maple Shade bars medical pot dispensary (Walsh, The Courier-Post) Maple Shade, Camden County
“The township zoning board Wednesday night unanimously rejected plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary here.”
Board just says no (Levinsky, phillyburbs.com) Maple Shade, Camden County
“The township Zoning Board on Wednesday night unanimously denied a request by a nonprofit group for a medical marijuana dispensary at a former furniture store off Route 73.”
West Milford officials rebuff proposal to assit developers (Zimmer, Suburban Trends) West Milford, Passaic County
“The Township Council has voiced its opposition to proposed state legislation that would provide relief for developers facing prohibitive economic conditions.”
Age-restricted development will not be converted in S.B. (McLafferty, Sentinel) South Brunswick, Middlesex County
“More than 100 homes in South Brunswick will not be converted from age-restricted to market housing after the Planning Board denied an applicant’s request to do so during its Oct. 5 meeting.”
Ewing developer cuts back on housing project near GM site (Karas, The Times of Trenton) Ewing, Mercer County
“A developer withl long-running plans for an unpopular affordable housing development off Parkway Avenue has offered to cut his housing total by half to ease concerns about the project.”
October 11, 2011
Poll finds support for statewide planning in New Jersey (Kitchenman, NJ BIZ) Statewide
“New Jersey residents support statewide planning to guide growth and development and to protect farms and open space, according to a poll released Tuesday.”
DCA commissioner pledges changes to affordable-housing system (Burd, NJ BIZ) Statewide
“Less than a month after the Department of Community Affairs took full control over the functions of the Council on Affordable Housing, the agency’s head told many of the state’s builders Friday that changes to the system are under way.”
State’s high court to decide if statutes not adhered to in HIllsdale, judicial reviews of development proposal (Firschein, The Record) Hillsdale, Bergen County
“A lawsuit against the Borough’s Planning Board is headed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, challenging what it claimed were derivations from state statutes by the board and lower-court judges in considering a developer’s application.”
An Unofficial Transit Village (Martin, The New York Times) West Windsor, Mercer County
“It took nearly five years to get all aboard, but this township is to have its own ‘transit village’; 800 housing units and a retail center beside its Princeton Junction train station.”
Proposed uptown development causes a stir (Smith, The Hudson Reporter) Hoboken, Hudson County
“A new uptown residential development proposal has neighbors and open space activists up in arms, and the City Council even opposed the plan at Wednesday’s meeting by unanimously passing a nonbinding resolution.”
October 4, 2011
Maple Shade proposed for medical marijuana dispensary (Walsh, Courier-Post) Maple Shade, Camden County
“A nonprofit organization wants to open a dispensary for medical marijuana here.”
Signs of hope stretch beyond the boardwalk (Kitchenman, NJ BIZ) Atlantic City, Atlantic County
“Atlantic City Cruises President Jeff George said he saw one sign of immediate improvement from state-initiated reforms intended to improve the city’s economy: his neighborhood became cleaner.”
Planning Board to Make Green Village Redevelopment Recommendations (Chirls, Madison Patch) Madison, Morris County
“The Planning Board is scheduled to put its official stamp on its recommendations for a major borough development project.”
Upcoming Energy Ordinance Receives Planning Board Scrutiny (Kyriakakis, Manchester Patch) Manchester, Ocean County
“Manchester’s planning board reviewed an upcoming renewable energy ordinance, discussing its implications before the final version makes it to the township council for a vote at a still undetermined date.”
Apartment complex sign of Newton’s renaissance (Reilly, NJ Herald) Newton, Sussex County
“A renaissance is taking over Newton, from the opening of the Newton Theatre to the proliferation of gourmet eateries along Spring Street.”
September 28, 2011
$9.1M to be spent to protect bay (Larsen, The Asbury Park Press) Toms River, Ocean County
“The Ocean County Board of Freeholders is expected to approve $9.1 million next week to refurbish eight stormwater detention basins in an effort to eliminate nitrogen that seeps into Barnegat Bay.”
Smart Growth Policies Face Overhaul (Johnson, NJ Spotlight) Statewide
“The state is thinking about revamping its policies dealing with what projects receive financial incentives to reduce energy use in buildings, a change smart growth advocates fear will lead to further sprawl and loss of open space.”
Robbinsville: Redevelopment area eyed for Route 130 businesses (Degnan, The Messenger-Press) Robbinsville, Mercer County
“The Township Council has asked the Planning Board to investigate whether a group of parcels on Route 130 North and Robbinsville-Allentown Road can be declared an “area in need of redevelopment.”
September 27, 2011
Transit Village ‘A Perfect Fit’ for Summit (Bentey, Summit Patch) Summit, Union County
“A community planning and development consulting firm called the concept of a Transit Village a perfect fit for the city of Summit before the Planning Board at Municipal Hall on Monday night.”
Court upholds billboard ban in Mount Laurel (Coppock, Phillyburbs.com) Mount Laurel, Burlington County
“A lawsuit challenging the township’s billboard ordinance has been dismissed.”
September 22, 2011
No news to report
September 21, 2011
NEWS
Court tells board to try again on project decision (Davis, Shore News Today) Middle Township, Cape May County
“The Appellate Division of the Superior Court has told the township zoning board to reconsider granting variances to a commercial developer that wants to build a 90-unit affordable housing project.”
COURTS
East Windsor Group, LLC and TR Liquor, LLC v. Township Council of the Township of Toms River and Township of Toms River et al (Appellate Division, Ocean County) Toms River, Ocean County
September 20, 2011
Planning Board Discusses Flood Recovery (Giasone, Parsippany Patch) Parsippany Troy-Hills, Morris County
“With just one item on the agenda on Monday night, the Parsippany Troy-Hills Planning Board meeting was brief.”
Hamilton Township renewable energy plan waits for New Jersey approval (Landau, The Press of Atlantic City) Hamilton, Atlantic County
“A firm hoping to build a renewable energy plant in the township’s Industrial Park is waiting for approval from the state before it will decide to redevelop a former landfill.”
Branchburg could allow “age-restricted” development to become market-rate housing (Cooper, Somerset Messenger-Gazette) Branchburg, Somerset County
“Whether the developer of an approved age-restricted project known as Fox Hollow II can convert the development to market-rate housing could be decided tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 21 at a Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building.”
September 19, 2011
New construction offers hope in blighted park of Asbury Park (Shields, The Asbury Park Press) Asbury Park, Monmouth County
“On an avenue where blight has reigned for over four decades, the new 27,500-square-foot Springwood Center remains on schedule to open next spring.”
Asbury’s master plan is debated (Shields, The Asbury Park Press) Asbury Park, Monmouth County
“A decade after beachfront master developer Asbury Partners first showed up in the city, a committee of stakeholders have reported to the public their recommendations to amend the city waterfront redevelopment plan.”
What’s next for Fort Monmouth? (Bowman, The Asbury Park Press) Fort Monmouth, Monmouth County
“The colors have been struck, laboratories have been moved and gates padlocked.”
