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 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 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 6, 2011
Asbury group will present waterfront plans next week (Shields, The Asbury Park Press) Asbury Park, Monmouth County
“A waterfront redevelopment plan committee will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 in the City Council chambers to present its recommendations for changes to the oceanfront plan to the public.”
Judge tosses remaining Long Branch eminent domain suits (Williams, The Asbury Park Press) Long Branch, Monmouth County
“The four Marine Terrace, Ocean Terrace, Seaview Avenue (MTOTSA) property owners who refused to sign on to the 2009 eminent domain lawsuit settlement have had their cases thrown out of court.”
Walmart Windmills Application On Wednesday’s Zoning Board Agenda (Piniat, Lacey Patch) Lacey, Ocean County
“OnniWind Energy Systems, LLC will be approaching the zoning Board of Adjustment once again on Wednesday, Sept. 7 t 7 p.m. with their plan to install wind turbines in the parking lot of the Lanoka Harbor Walmart.”
Unfinished developments in Hamilton Township cause trouble for neighbors (Landau, The Press of Atlantic City) Hamilton, Atlantic County
“Jeff Hauta bought a brand new home in July 2008.”
September 1, 2011
NEWS
Crossroads Developer Files Site Plan (Mazzola, Mahwah Patch) Mahwah, Bergen County
“The Crossroads Developers LLC, the company seeking to build a 600,000 sq.-foot shopping center at the intersection of Routes 17 and 287 in Mahwah, filed a preliminary site plan with the township building department, according to the developer’s attorney Jim Jaworski.”
Zoning Board Puts Final Stamp on Quick Chek Application (Levine, Howell Patch) Howell, Monmouth County
“Last Monday, the Howell Township Zoning Board spent a majority of their meeting hearing and approving an application for a new lot to sell new and pre-owned automobiles. However, this was not the only matter on the agenda, as the board still had a great deal to work on throughout the session.”
OPINION
Gov. Chris Christie’s campaign promise forgotten (Amick, Times of Trenton) Statewide
“I will provide New Jerseyans regularly occurring opportunities to petition for their government for action by amending the state constitution to include a provision whereby every 10 years, voters will have the opportunity to convene a popularly elected constitutional convention.”
Irene Winds Down, But Turbines Keep Spinning (Shields, Moorestown Patch) Statewide
“I wondered over the weekend how to craft a story about our newest neighbor—that blowhard Irene—while injecting some environmental message. With that storm in mind, what lesson did we take home, now that we know we still have homes?”
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Gov. Christie says he’s still undecided on Port Authority toll hikes and PATH fare hikes (Strunsky, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“A day after public hearings on a proposed toll and PATH fare hike, Gov. Chris Christie said he had not decided on the proposal but told reporters ‘there were more people spoke in favor of the toll hike than against it.’”
Study: Stormwater Basins Harming Barnegat Bay (Nee, Point Pleasant Patch) Jersey Shore
“Stormwater basins built along the Barnegat Bay watershed may be harming the waterway, according to a new study.”
State has no power to block gas pipeline (Reilly, njherald.com) Sussex County
“The state Department of Environmental Protection has no power to stop the natural gas pipeline that is planned to cut through High Point State Park, a state official said Wednesday.”
Solar Farm planned in East Rutherford (Staff, South Bergenite) East Rutherford, Bergen County
“The Planning Board approved zoning changes on Aug. 8 to allow a solar farm east of Route 17 in order to allow Diamond Chemical company to harness its power.”
Rutgers graduate students to take a crack at Raritan waterfront (Cooper, Somerset Messenger-Gazette) Raritan, Hunterdon County
“The future of the town’s river front area is to be envisioned by a group of graduate students from Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning and Policy this fall. The students will meet with borough officials on Friday to launch the project.”
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
NEWS
N.J. appellate court upholds Highlands Plan to prevent housing development in environmentally-sensitive area (Spoto, The Star-Ledger) Highlands
“New Jersey’s plan to curb development in the environmentally sensitive Highlands can move forward despite claims it will hurt efforts to add affordable housing, a state appeals court panel ruled today.”
Pinelands report says Stafford Township solar project a bad deal for protecting forest (Weaver, The Press of Atlantic City) Stafford, Ocean County
“An annual report on the state of New Jersey pinelands gives Stafford Township a poor mark for its decision to support a solar panel project atop a landfill in the Stafford Business Park.”
Pipeline hearing will focus on plan for High Point State Park (Reilly, NJ Herald) Sussex County
“The public will have a chance to voice their opinion Wednesday about the natural gas pipeline expansion planned to slice through High Point State Park.”
OPINION
Christie’s beach tours / More walk, less talk (Staff Editorial, The Press of Atlantic City) Jersey Shore
“Gov. Chris Christie is not the first politician to take an oceanside walk as a demonstration of his environmental credentials.”
COURTS
In Re Highlands Master Plan (Appellate Division)
Monday, August 8, 2011
NEWS
Stranded in ‘food deserts,’ hundreds of thousands of N.J. residents lack access to healthy, fresh food (Staff, The Star Ledger) Statewide
“One of Heather Cooke’s favorite meals is a fresh garden salad. But finding the ingredients for the dish in her Hamilton neighborhood isn’t easy.”
N.J. revising its energy policy (Jordan, The Asbury Park Press) Statewide
“New Jersey is overhauling its energy policy for the second time in three years as states make more-frequent rewrites to keep up with technology changes and ideological shifts.”
OPINION
Fight Over the Highlands Continues (O’Dea, Mahwah Patch) Highlands
“Seven years after its enactment, the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act remains a point of contention for pro-environment supporters and property-owning critics.”
COURTS
Price v. Himeji, LLC and Union City Zoning Board of Adjustment (Appellate Division)
Reverses Law Division and reinstates Board’s approval of the development.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
N.J. allocates $157M for preservation of state land, natural resources (Gibson, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“Almost a week after it was initially planned, Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation today to allocate money to green space preservation projects.”
Another Solar Energy Farm Coming to Manalapan? (Gandolfo, Manalapan Patch) Manalapan, Monmouth County
“Kenneth Pape, partner at Heilbrunn Pape, is expecting to seek approval for plans to develop Manalapan’s third solar energy farm at the township Zoning Board meeting on Thursday, August 4. Pape recently gave a full presentation on plans for the farm to Manalapan’s Environmental Commission.”
Morris seeks commuter rail study for Rt. 23 corridor service (Staff, The Daily Record) Morris County
“The Morris County freeholders and the county’s Board of Transportation are calling for a study into the feasibility of re-establishing commuter rail service on the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway along the Route 23 corridor in Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties.”
Rumson neighbors fight cutting of trees (Higgs, The Asbury Park Press) Rumson, Monmouth County
“A Navesink Avenue coupled started to make their case Monday night against a builder who they alleged clear-cut 77 percent of the trees on the lot next door to their home, in violation of the borough’s ordinance, which allows a maximum of 40 percent to be removed.”
Friday, July 29, 2011
Keeping public access public (Oswald, The Asbury Park Press) Jersey Shore
“Anglers are anxious.”
60-unit condo plan under consideration in Burlington City (O’Sullivan, phillyburbs.com) Burlington City, Burlington County
“A plan for a 60-unit condominium development in the Yorkshire neighborhood has raised concerns about density, parking and environmental impact.”
New Development for a Tired Industrial Town (Martin, The New York Times) Harrison, Hudson County
“Starting leasing next month beside the PATH station here: 275 new rental units with an attended lobby, a fitness center, an outdoor pool and volleyball court, a residents’ lounge, and garage parking — all within walking distance of a major-league soccer stadium.”
First phase of Pleasantville’s City Center Project would add 300 condos, retail space (Spahr, The Press of Atlantic City) Atlantic City, Atlantic County
“The city is close to acquiring the last properties it needs to begin the first phase of a roughly $150 million downtown redevelopment project.”
New Jersey sets new record for solar energy (Baxter, NorthJersey.com) Statewide
“The state hit a new record in June for solar energy installations and the resulting electric generation capacity compared to any prior month, according to state environmental officials.”
Residents Voice Concerns Over Walmart Windmills (Piniat, Lacey Patch) Lacey, Ocean County
“Lanoka Harbor resident Peter Zarycki thought it was a joke when he received a certified letter notifying his neighborhood that windmills might be installed on top of lighting fixturs in the Walmart parking lot.”
North Jersey religious groups fighting zoning laws and winning (Yellin, NorthJersey.com) North Jersey
“Religious groups across North Jersey are challenging local zoning laws with plans to put houses of worship on dwindling taxable land, and if legal precedent is any judge, city boards and unhappy neighbors don’t have a prayer.”
Morristown may form shade tree commission for public education campaign (Coughlin, MorristownGreen.com) Morristown, Morris County
“Is it time for tree-age in Morristown?”
Town Council Passess Ordinance to Add Riparian Zone Protections (De Bellis, Berkeley Heights Patch) Berkeley Heights, Union County
“Residents opposed to an ordinance that amends the township’s code on flood damage prevention to include riparian zone protections continued their protests to the town council on Tuesday night.”
Planning Board clears way for gentleman’s club (Prisament, Shore News Today) Galloway, Atlantic County
“The Planning Board cleared the way for a ‘gentleman’s club to open at the Vienna Inn on the White Horse Pike on Thursday, July 21.”
