September 2, 2011
Not all celebrate Highlands Council’s milestone (Forrest, Neighbor News - Denville) Highlands
“Things are happening at a lightning pace for the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. On Aug. 10, Council members observed the seventh anniversary of the Highlands Act, pioneering legislation designed to protect the land, natural resources and drinking water for 5.4 million residents.”
Chesterfield eyed for medical marijuana facility (O’Sullivan, phillyburbs.com) Chesterfield Burlington County
“The township may become home to South Jersey’s first medical marijuana growing facility.”
August 22, 2011
Amended Speedwell Redevelopment Plan Introduced (Dunphy, Morristown Patch) Morristown, Morris County
“It wasn’t a public hearing, but several audience members still expressed their opinions on the newest version of the Speedwell Redevelopment Plan, which was introduced by Town Council Thursday night.”
Ringwood on track to adopt Highlands Act (Fallon, The Record) Ringwood, Passaic County
“Seven years after the Highlands Act was passed, Ringwood is poised to adopt the strict land use regulations that block major developer and allow only limited redevelopment.”
No hotel in Morris Twp.: Honeywell cuts plan, lowers height, number of townhouses (Staff, Morris NewsBee) Morris, Morris County
“A large hotel that would have greeted drives coming into the township on Park Avenue as part of the new Honeywell housing/office project is no more.”
Appleview hearing continues (LaMarca, Hudson Reporter) North Bergen, Bergen County
“The Hudson County Planning Board’s hearing on the proposed Appleview condominiums in North Bergen, near the Guttenberg border, will resume Sept. 21. Their second meeting Wednesday continued with questioning of the project’s engineer by an attorney for opponents of the project.”
Friday, August 19, 2011
Gov. Christie, N.Y. Gov. Cuomo say OK to scaled-back toll hike (Strunsky, The Star Ledger) North Jersey
“Softening a proposal for unprecedented increases on Port Authority bridges and tunnels, the governors of New Jersey and New York have signed off on an agreement to raise tolls $1.50 next month, followed by additional hikes of 75 cents per year through 2015.
Shopping center proposal causes controversy in Bedminster (MacKenzie, mycentraljersey.com) Bedminster, Somerset County
“A narrow 10-acre strip of land between Interstate 287 and Route 202/206 in Pluckemin section of the township has for years housed a State Police barracks, along with a storage dome for road salt and a garage for New Jersey Department of Transportation vehicles.”
Morristown council introduces revised Speedwell plan (Coughlin, Morristown Green) Morristown, Morris County
“The vote was unanimous, but there were some bumps getting there.”
Zoning Board and Developer Clash Over Colors (Van Embden, Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch) Red Bank, Monmouth County
“In Red Bank’s designated Antiques District, an area of town that may as well be renamed the ‘Hey, don’t forget about us,’ district, a developer wants to build a colorful, multi-use complex, complete with apartments promising modern living and a first-floor brew pub.”
COURTS
TSI Marlboro, Inc. v. Township of Marlboro Zoning Board of Adjustment (Appellate Division)
United Water of New Jersey v. Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Borough of Montvale et al (Appellate Division)
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.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Hunterdon among counties offered $3.248 million for Highlands land preservation (Staff, Hunterdon County Democrat) Hunterdon, Morris, Warren, Passaic Counties
“The New Jersey Highlands Development Credit Bank (HDC Bank) has made offers to preserve another 130 acres of land in Morris, Warren, Passaic and Hunterdon counties, providing up to $3,248,000 to landowners in the Highlands Preservation Area.”
Zoning Board rejects plan for drug, alcohol rehab facility (Staff, The Hammonton News) Hammonton, Atlantic County
“The Zoning Board voted 4-3 to reject a use variance that would have allowed an impatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility to open on the White Horse Pike.”
Public on Master Plan: Protect Neighborhoods, Promote Business, Keep It Simple (Bergen, Ocean City Patch) Ocean City, Cape May County
“Ocean City’s Planning Board invited the public on Wednesday night to share their thoughts on the future of the island — and about 20 people answered the call.”
Bike and walking studies gear up in Monmouth, Ocean (Higgs, The Asbury Park Press) Monmouth, Ocean Counties
“As Red Bank goes, so goes Monmouth County, at least when it comes to using the same interactive online and in-person format the borough used to gather information for the borough’s Bike and Pedestrian report.”
Middle Township Committee Gives Nod to New Master Plan (McGuire, Cape May County Herald) Middle, Cape May County
“They grew a proverbial line in the sand, as well as the streets, the woods, and wetlands, too. But at the end of the day, Middle Township Committee unanimously passed Ordinance No. 1392-11, Chapter 250 Zoning, which officially adopted the township’s new master plan.”
Officials Call On Residents To Help Fight Proposed Development (Antonelli, Cranford Patch) Cranford, Union County
“It’s going to take more than a legal appeal by the Cranford Township Committee to prevent 360 residential units from being built on Birchwood Avenue. The entire township must come together in opposition, officials said during a special meeting Tuesday night.”
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
2 Wanaque residential developments do not need to comply with 2004 environmental standards, court panel rules (Baxter, The Star-Ledger) Wanaque, Passaic County
“Two residential developments in Wanaque Borough do not need to comply with environmental rules under the state Highlands Act, a Superior Court panel ruled today.”
New Golden Triangle deal moving forward (Russell, mycentraljersey.com) East Brunswick, Middlesex County
“A negotiated agreement has been worked out between the township and Toll Brothers for the property known as the Golden Triangle that will bring retail space, including a big-box store, and 200 to 400 residential units to the site bordered by Route 18 and Tices Lane.”
Board Pushes Aquatics Center Decision to September (De Bellis, Berkeley Heights Patch) Berkeley Heights, Union County
“Residents appealing the zoning approval for the proposed Berkeley Aquatic Center’s new 51,000-square foot facility on the border of Warren and Berkeley Heights argued that the facility would not be consistent with permitted use under municipal ordinances at the zoning board meeting on Monday night.”
Monday, December 6, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
Marlboro to take affordable housing issue to N.J. Supreme Court (Boyd, The Asbury Park Press) Marlboro, Monmouth County
“The township is taking the fight over its affordable housing obligation to the state Supreme Court.”
NJ Transit moves forward in effort to privatize parking lots (Frassinelli, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“In a state where three-quarters of its residents live within five miles of a transit station and 10 percent of the work force travels by public transit — the highest statewide rate in America — the NJ Transit station parking lots could be paved with gold.”
OPINION
Keep “wolves” off the Highlands Council (Byers, for The Daily Record) Highlands
“In stark contrast to the natural beauty of New Jersey’s Highlands region is the needless tension between conservation of its critical water supply and natural resources, and plans for local economic development. Recent successes of municipalities that have chosen to conform to the Highlands Regional Master Plan prove this to be a false paradox indeed.”
Friday, December 3, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
Gov. Christie selects law firm to challenge $271M ARC tunnel tab (Staff, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“Gov. Chris Christie agreed today to retain an influential legal and lobbying firm to challenge the $271 million bill New Jersey received from the federal government for work done on the canceled multibillion-dollar Hudson River train tunnel.”
Residents take issue with planned cell tower along Parkway in Cranford (Murray, Cranford Chronicle) Cranford, Union County)
“A public hearing on a proposed cell phone tower in the median between the Garden State Parkway and North Avenue drew complaints from residents who called the tower ‘a done deal’ and a ‘monstrosity’ on Thursday, Dec. 2.”
OPINION
Too quiet in the Highlands (Staff Editorial, The Daily Record) Highlands
“The governor recently nominated seven people to fill multiple vacancies on the state’s Highlands Council. Two of them are from Morris County, Tim Dougherty, the mayor of Morristown, and Jim Rilee, a councilman in Roxbury.”
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 (Afternoon)
OPINION
Chris Christie declares war on the Highlands (Tittel, for newjerseynewsroom.com) Highlands
“Governor Christie has opened a new front on his war on the environment with his appointments to the Highlands Council. The governor’s appointments made to Highlands Council are clearly a message that he does not care about protecting the water supply of the people of New Jersey.”
