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.”
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
NEWS
Gov. Christie Signs Historic Preservation Bill That Will Bring Over a Million Dollars to Jersey City Projects (Whiten, The Jersey City Independent) Jersey City, Hudson County
“Gov. Christie yesterday signed into law a bill that appropriates more than $1 million in historic preservation funding to four Jersey City projects.”
A Suburban Town Sees Housing Where Retail Rules (Duffy, The New York Times) Morristown, Morris County
“Jordan Eppolito has taken a liking to to his new house here in the Morris County seat, about 30 miles west of New York City. Mr. Eppolito, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who plans to open a pizza shop this fall on South Street, lives in a new condominium overlooking the Morristown Green, the historic park at the center of town.”
OPINION
Christie, deflecting anger, prepares toll deal (Ahearn, The Bergen Record) Statewide
“The melodrama that Governor Christie has been stage-managing with toll and fare increases on Port Authority bridges, tunnels and trains should fool no one. His fingerprints are all over the script.”
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
NJ Transit derailment renews calls for second tunnel under Hudson River to Manhattan (Frassinelli, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“The area between New York Penn Station and the Hudson River train tunnel resembles a big bowl of spaghetti, with wires and tracks and trains veering in every direction.”
New Jersey’s ‘Live Where You Work’ home loan program comes to Camden (Hester Sr., New Jersey Newsroom) Camden, Camden County
“Camden on Tuesday became the 38th New Jersey city or town to join the state’s Line Where York Work program, which provides low-interest, fixed rate mortgage loans to first-time homebuyers who purchase homes in a municipality where they work.”
Developer, Bordentown Township reach financial agreement on waterfront community (O’Sullivan, phillyburbs.com) Bordentown, Burlington County
“A preliminary financial agreement for a planned $300 million waterfront development requires the township to authorize up to $22 million in bonds for infrastructure improvements throughout the multiphase project.”
Jersey City Planning Board forwards McGinley Square redevelopment plan to City Council (McDonald, The Jersey Journal) Jersey City, Hudson County
“The Jersey City Planning Board tonight approved a recommendation that the City Council adopt the controversial McGinley Square Redevelopment Plan.”
Developer Moving Forward With His Efforts to Open Outpatient Detox Facility in Lawrence Twp. Building (Tredrea, Lawrenceville Patch) Lawrence, Mercer County
“Real estate developer John Simone is employing a dual strategy in his continuing effort to install a drug and alcohol detoxification facility in a vacant building he owns on Federal City Road in Lawrence Township.”
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Affordable-housing advocates back Princeton Junction transit village (Costa, The Times of Trenton) West Windsor, Mercer County
“As the long-debated InterCap transit village at Princeton Junction nears final approval by West Windsor officials, groups that advocate for more affordable housing in the state have joined supporting the 800-unit project.”
Jersey City Planning Board to have public hearing on redevelopment of McGinley Square (Staff, The Jersey Journal) Jersey City, Hudson County
“The Jersey City Planning Board will meet tonight to hear public comments on the controversial McGinley Square Redevelopment Plan, The Jersey Journal reports.”
High marks for Pier Village (Williams, The Asbury Park Press) Long Branch, Monmouth County
“Crack houses, a rat-infested water slide and boarded up arcades. This was the setting where the Pier Village retail and residential complex was built in a city that had endured decades of decline.”
Affordable Housing Proposal Inches Further (Lee, Bloomfield Patch) Bloomfield, Essex County
“In an unanimous vote with all seven members approving, the Bloomfield Township Council approved creating a pilot program Monday night for a proposed affordable housing complex for senior citizens and people with disabilities.”
Lower Township tells woman, 79, to get rid of six chickens she is raising for eggs (Degener, Press of Atlantic City) Lower Township, Cape May County
“When Claire Nagel heard about a national movement toward locally grown foods, she planted a big garden and got some chickens.”
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.
Monday, August 1, 2011
NEWS
Can’t agree on development (Smith, Hudson Reporter) Hoboken, Hudson County
“New Jersey Transit and city officials have failed again to come to an agreement on plans for development near the downtown transit terminal. Now, the city has instructed a planner to draw up designs for the 52-acre site on the south end of Hoboken, which should be unveiled in the fall, according to Mayor Dawn Zimmer.”
Court Approves Construction of 360 Residential Units on Birchwood Avenue (Antonelli, Cranford Patch) Cranford, Union County
“Cranford officials plan to appeal a decision made Friday by a Superior Court judge that will allow a developer to construct 360 residential units at the quiet corner of 215 Birchwood Ave., a street that’s prone to flooding.”
Plainfield seeks rejuvenation strategies (Staff, mycentraljersey.com) Plainfield, Union County
“Representatives from Plainfield joined leaders from 11 other New Jersey cities at a two-day seminar in Trenton last week to explore best practices for tackling vacant property challenges and restoring neighborhoods.”
OPINION
How state zoning rules foster sprawl, hike costs (Evans, for northjersey.com) Statewide
“On a regular basis we hear how sprawl development continues to eat up the last remaining open space across New Jersey, and residents continue to express confusion about how this keeps happening.”
Friday, December 17, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
High Tension Surrounds Jersey City High Line (Klayko, The Architect’s Newspaper) Jersey City, Hudson County
“A battle over Jersey City’s 6th Street railway embankment — a half-mile long, stone-walled city landmark that some are calling Jersey’s answer to the High Line — has pitted preservationists against smart-growth advocates in a complex row over development rights that has landed in the U.S. Court of Appeals.”
How to Save Main Street (Tracy, Newsweek) Vineland, Cumberland County
“After the housing bubble burst in 2007, the Wells Fargo mortgage office became yet another dead-weight property along the main drag in Vineland, N.J.”
‘Mary and Joseph’ seek affordable housing at N.J. Statehouse (Hester, Sr., newjerseynewsroom.com) Trenton, Mercer County
Mary and Joseph, joined by leaders of New Jersey religious communities, made their annual visit to the Statehouse Thursday to call upon elected officials to make room at the inn for thousands of struggling New Jersey families.”
COURTS
Loori Bus Company v. Township of Middletown (Appellate Division) Monmouth County
Appellate Division upholds Law Division’s ruling overturning Zoning Board of Adjustment’s denial of a use variance for a bus storage lot. Agrees with Law Division’s finding that the Applicant’s successfully demonstrated that bus operations are an inherently beneficial use.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 (Morning)
NJ Transit Unveils Second Version of Downtown Plan (Moses, Hoboken Patch) Hoboken, Hudson County
“New Jersey Transit presented a new vision of its $250 million plan for the Hoboken terminal on Tuesday night.”
Borough wants to send governor a message about light rail plan (Gemignani, Northern Valley Suburbanite) Tenafly, Bergen County
“Borough officials are leaning toward sending Governor Christie a letter stating local opposition to New Jersey Transit’s plans to re-establish passenger rail service in Tenafly accompanied by a companion resolution.”
Dealership gets OK to build solar car canopy (Funderburk, The Daily Journal) Vineland, Cumberland County
“Rossi Honda plans to build three canopies with an array of solar panels to cover new display vehicles and customer cars at its Delsea Drive dealership.”
Monday, December 13, 2010 (Afternoon)
NEWS
N.J. Assembly approves bill abolishing Council on Affordable Housing (Friedman, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“The state Assembly has passed a controversial bill that would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing, but neither Republicans nor affordable housing advocates are happy with it.”
Roselle council members say they support apartment at Roselle Golf Course (Caroom, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“Roselle’s council member pledged this week to support an ambitious development on the city’s largest open plot of land at the Roselle Golf Course, a project that has encountered vocal opposition from residents.”
A 40-story building for Newport (Kaulessar, Hudson Reporter) Jersey City, Hudson County
“Newport residents will probably see a new 40-story building rising in their neighborhood next year.”
Cell tower project can move forward after Lakeland Regional High School district receives letter of approval from DOE commissioner (Kolton, Suburban Trends) Wanaque, Passaic County
“Lakeland Regional High School’s planned cell phone tower is ‘ready to rock and roll,’ said Chief School Administrator Anthony Riscica at the Tuesday, Dec. 7 meeting of the Board of Education.”
JOB
Principal Planner — Borough of North Wildwood, Cape May County
Monday, December 13, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
NJ Transit to update community on ‘time sensitive’ redevelopment proposal for Hoboken rail yards (Colaneri, The Jersey Journal) Hoboken, Hudson County
“Back in September, NJ Transit came forward with yet another proposal for the Hoboken rail yards, touting the interest of an unnamed ‘world class company’ in relocating its headquarters on Mile Square soil.”
Planners say it’s time to beef up Dinky (Knapp, The Times of Trenton) Princeton, Mercer County
“Continue to strengthen Dinky rail service from Princeton to Princeton Junction. That’s the message the Regional Planning Board of Princeton is sending to NJ Transit.”
Variance OK’d for pumps to West Deptford Wawa (Scott, The Gloucester County Times) West Deptford, Gloucester County
“In spite of protests from a worried township resident, the zoning board has approved a variance allowing Wawa to put in a gas station next to its Crown Point Road store.”
