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.”
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.”
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, December 27, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
Religious group, environmentalists battle over preserved land in Edison (Johnson, The Star-Ledger) Edison, Middlesex County
“It’s church vs. nature.”
OPINION
Keep the Dinky stationary (Staff, The Times of Trenton) Princeton, Mercer County
“As discussions continue about Princeton university’s plan for an arts transit district, the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation has expressed support for the proposal, which also involves relocation of the Dinky train station.”
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
Affordable-housing bill pulled after Christie’s veto threat (Rao, The Philadelphia Inquirer) Trenton, Mercer County
“Efforts to overhaul New Jersey’s controversial affordable-housing rules by the end of the year crumbled Monday when a housing bill was pulled from the Senate voting agenda hours before Gov. Christie said he would veto it if it passed without further changes.”
Solar proposal advances in Pemberton Township (Comegno, The Courier-Post) Pemberton, Burlington County
“One of the largest solar proposals in the Eastern United States has overcome a major hurdle.”
JOB
Full-time Municipal Engineer — Borough of Princeton, Mercer County
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.
Thursday, December 16, 2010 (Afternoon)
NEWS
NJ Supreme Court rejects Rockaway Twp. appeal of Christ Church exemption (Jennings, The Daily Record) Rockaway, Morris County
“The New Jersey Supreme Court has declined to hear Rockaway Township’s appeal of Christ Church’s exemption from the state Highlands Law.”
COURTS
Cortesini v. Hamilton Township Planning Board (Appellate Division) Hamilton, Mercer County
“This appeal involves the grant by defendant Hamilton Township Planning Board (Board) to defendant Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust (Wal-Mart) of land use approvals for the proposed renovation of an existing Wal-Mart store. The primary argument presented by plaintiffs, who are property owners in Hamilton Township, is that the Board’s resolution authorizing this renovation is invalid because the approvals did not include a bulk variance authorizing the nonconformity of parts of the existing Wal-Mart parking lot with the parking area setback requirement of the Hamilton Township zoning ordinance. We reject this argument because the nonconformity with the parking area setback requirement is a feature of the existing Wal-Mart parking lot that was authorized by the subdivision and site plan approvals granted by the Board in 2001 and 2002, and the proposed renovation will not increase or otherwise affect that nonconformity. Therefore, plaintiffs’ challenge to the land use approvals granted by the Board for this renovation constitutes an untimely collateral attack upon the land use approvals the Board granted in 2001 and 2002 for construction of the original Wal-Mart store.”
