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.”
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.”
Thursday, December 9, 2010 (Evening)
NEWS
Gov. Christie announces plan to protect Barnegat Bay, close Oyster Creek (Staff, The Associated Press) Lacey, Ocean County
“New Jersey Gov. Christie today unveiled a plan to protect Barnegat Bay from pollution and environmental degradation.”
State OKs redevelopment designation for Town Center South (Degnan, The Messenger-Press) Robbinsville, Mercer County
“The State has approved Robbinsville’s designation of 90 acres of homes, businesses and vacant land collectively known as Town Center South as an “area in need of redevelopment,” allowing the township to draft a plan and appoint a redeveloper to revive stalled construction projects there.”
‘Built-out’ communities are growing (Portlock, The Star-Ledger) Statewide
“The rate of new construction permits in urban and older-suburban areas in the Garden State more than doubled this decade because of demographic shifts and a revised state building code, according to a new report to be released today by a nonprofit land use research organization.”
JOBS
NJ Highlands Coalition — Policy Analyst & Campaign Coordinator (Boonton, Morris County)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 (Evening)
NEWS
Lawsuit takes aim at warehouse approval (Degnan, The Messenger-Press) Robbinsville, Mercer County
“Resident George Vardakis Jr. has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the zoning board’s recent decision allowing a 90,000 square-foot warehouse/office space building to be built on Meadowbrook Road.”
Edison zoning board rejects T-Mobile cell tower proposal (Johnson, The Star-Ledger) Edison, Middlesex County
“The Edison zoning board unanimously rejected T-Mobile’s plan to erect a cell phone antenna site of Elizabeth Avenue — a project residents could have disrupted a nearby natural gas pipline.”
RFQ
Arts & Design Planning Consultant — Great Falls Arts & Revitalization Initiative
Thursday, October 14, 2010 (Morning)
NEWS
COAH application deemed complete, then COAH rules invalidated (Zimmer, Suburban Trends) West Milford, Passaic County
“The township’s third-round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan application was recently deemed to be administratively complete by the state’s Council on Affordable Housing (COAH).”
State agrees to give big buck$ to Hamilton, Robbinsville and East Windsor for tree replacement (Abdur-Rahman, The Trentonian) Mercer County
“The state finally saw the forest for trees in Hamilton, Robbinsville and East Windsor.”
Robbinsville: Council eyes smoother path for Town Center South (Degnan, The Messenger-Press) Robbinsville, Mercer County
“The Township Council is set to vote tonight (Thursday) on a resolution aimed at jump-starting the long-stalled development of 90 acres on the south side of Route 33 collectively known as Town Center South.”
Avalon considers affordable housing plan (Leach, The Press of Atlantic City) Avalon, Cape May County
“As the state continues to debate how affordable housing requirements will change in New Jersey, the borough is beginning to work on its own plan to meet the needs of a barrier island community.”
OPINION
New Jersey cannot afford to cancel rail tunnel project (Bressler, for the Times of Trenton) Statewide
“A little more than 24 hours after canceling New Jersey’s commitment to help pay for a second rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie met with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and agreed to rethink his decision. Although the hour-long meeting did not resolve the governor’s concerns about how the tunnel should be funded, it did emphasize one important point: New Jersey has options beyond simply walking away.”
Thursday, September 30, 2010 (Afternoon)
NEWS
Conservationists worry that administration is rewriting environmental rules without public consent (Johnson, NJ Spotlight) Trenton, Mercer County
“In a move viewed by some as a stealth attempt to weaken the state’s rules to control stormwater runoff, the state Department of Environmental Protection is quietly soliciting comments on a controversial guidance document to be used by developers to comply with regulations.”
In Hamilton, anger over zoning change (Duffy, The Times of Trenton) Hamilton, Mercer County
“With reservations — and no shortage of grumbling — the township zoning board this week reluctantly approved a developer’s request to lift the age restrictions on an already approved senior housing complex on Kuser Road.”
Morristown, NJ, revamps Speedwell Avenue redevelopment project (Koloff, The Daily Record) Morristown, Morris County
“A driveway leading from a parking lot to a public works garage where garage trucks now go back and forth would become a pedestrian mall lined with restaurants and shops and lead to a park on street yet to be built and surrounded by buildings forming a quadrangle.”
Princeton planned weigh Dinky train fate (Knapp, The Times of Trenton) Princeton, Mercer County
“The Regional Planning Board of Princeton will consider a controversial plan tonight to replace the beloved “Dinky” train with several buses dedicated to rail passengers and others.”
Land by Allentown rezoned for commercial uses (Degnan, The Messenger-Press) Robbinsville, Mercer County
“The Township Council has voted to rezone farmland and residential properties on Route 526 near the Allentown border to for commercial use in an action criticized by residents from neighboring towns who decried the loss of the greenbelt anchored by the 18th century Wittenborn house and farm.”
OPINION
The tunnel: An investment in N.J.’s economic future (Brake, for The Times of Trenton) Statewide
“At Monday’s Assembly Transportation Committee hearing, New Jersey Transit Executive Director James Weinstein confirmed that the multibillion-dollar project now under construction for just about any new transit service improvement to be added to New Jersey’s transit system.”
Gov. Christie’s Tunnel Vision (Staff Editorial, The New York Times) Statewide
“Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has made a national name for himself by slashing spending on education and other vital services. New Jersey’s children and other vulnerable residents are paying the price. Now he want to stall — and perhaps cancel — one of the most important transportation projects in the country: a new railway tunnel under the Hudson River linking New Jersey and Midtown Manhattan.”
Monday, August 23, 2010 (Afternoon)
NEWS
West Side Light Rail Extension Project Picks Up Some Federal Funding (Whiten, The Jersey City Independent) Jersey City, Hudson County
“Last fall, NJ Transit approved a study to explore the feasibility of extending the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from the West Side Avenue station across Route 440 to the planned Bayfront development along the Hackensack River.”
40 acres preserved in Bethlehem Twp., next to Tower Hill, Jugtown reserves (Staff, Hunterdon County Democrat) Bethlehem, Hunterdon County
“Some 40 acres of forest and wetlands here have been preserved by the Hunterdon Land Trust, the New Jersey Audubon Society, the township and the New Jersey Water Supply Authority for a total cost of $285,000.”
OPINION
Mayors’ suit aims to protect communities (Fried, for The Times of Trenton) Robbinsville/Hamilton/East Windsor, Mercer County
“Earlier this month, Robbinsville, Hamilton and East Windsor took the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to court to block a classic bait-and-switch: Enticing us to turn over land to widen the New Jersey Turnpike with promises of $15 million in reforestation funds, then shipping the money elsewhere after the bulldozing had begun.”
COURT OPINION
O’Neill v. Township of Tewksbury Land Use Board (Appellate Division) Tewksbury, Hunterdon County
