Gibbons Law Alert

Gibbons Law Alert

Category: Development/Redevelopment

Governor Christie Vetoes Offshore Wind Bill

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On May 9, 2016

Recently, Governor Christie vetoed legislation designed to allow additional applications for offshore wind projects seeking approval from state regulators. The now-defunct bill, S988, sponsored by Senators Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) and Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), sought to allow the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (“BPU”) to open a 30-day period for the submission of offshore wind project applications. More specifically, the bill would have allowed BPU to accept and approve “a qualified wind energy project that is located in territorial waters offshore of [a] municipality in which casino gaming is authorized,” i.e. a wind project offshore from Atlantic City.

Appellate Division Grants Leave to Appeal to Affordable Housing Decision, While Trial Courts Continue Towards Trial and Compliance Hearings

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On May 5, 2016

On April 11, 2016, the Appellate Division issued an order granting a motion by the Township of Barnegat for leave to appeal a decision by the Hon. Mark A. Troncone, J.S.C., designated Mt. Laurel judge for Ocean County, and also granted a number of motions for other municipalities from outside of Ocean County to appear as amici curiae in the case. The order returns the question of methodology – a hotly contested issue – to the Appellate Division. The counties comprising Region 4 (Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties) of the Council on Affordable Housing (“COAH”) were set to be among the first to hold trials regarding the methodology for determining the municipal fair share housing obligations of municipalities. The grant of leave to appeal in the Ocean County case will necessarily delay any trial in that vicinage until the resolution of the appeal. This post briefly reviews the trial court’s decision, and the potential impact the decision to grant leave to appeal may have on pending declaratory judgment cases.

Remedial Investigation Deadline Looms for New Jersey Contaminated Sites

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On April 21, 2016

In less than three weeks, the statutory deadline to complete a site-wide remedial investigation (“RI”) for many contaminated sites in New Jersey will pass. Any site for which an RI has not been completed will be subject to direct oversight of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”), which would come with additional costs, less control over the remediation, and other burdens for responsible parties. Accordingly, responsible parties and their Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (“LSRPs”) should do everything in their power to complete an RI by the statutory deadline: May 7, 2016.

Proposed Definition of “Underutilized” for Brownfield Cleanup Act Amendments Draws Many Comments

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On April 12, 2016

Numerous organizations and individuals have submitted comments on the proposed definition of “underutilized” published by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on March 9, 2016, pursuant to the 2015 Brownfield Cleanup Act Amendments. The Amendments require NYSDEC to propose a definition for “underutilized,” one of the few remaining ways for New York City sites to qualify for tangible property tax credits under the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP). As such, this definition is seen by many as crucial to the continued viability of the BCP as a cleanup mechanism for brownfield properties in New York City.

NYSDEC Proposes New Definition of “Underutilized” for Tangible Property Tax Credits at New York City Brownfield Sites

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On March 14, 2016

On March 9, 2016, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) proposed a new definition of an “underutilized” site for purposes of claiming tangible property tax credits for sites in New York City under the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP). As noted in prior blogs, the 2015 amendments to the BCP established new restrictions on the ability of sites in the five boroughs of New York City to obtain tax credits related to expenditures for site improvements. One of the criteria which would allow a site to qualify for such credits was that the site be “underutilized.” That term was left undefined by the Legislature, with instructions to NYSDEC to finalize a definition by October 1, 2015.

“And/Or” – No More

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On February 23, 2016

The use of “and/or” in drafting or, for that matter, anything other than the most casual communications, is one of our pet peeves. It is a substitute for careful drafting and an invitation to ambiguity. Ken Adams, in his Manual of Style for Contract Drafting – which we highly recommend to any serious drafter – devotes two pages to using, or perhaps, better said, mis-using, “and/or.” Mr. Adams observes that since the mid-20th century, judges and legal-writing commentators have railed against the use of “and/or” to convey the meaning of the inclusive “or.”

NJ High Court Clarifies Standard for Revocation of Direct Access to State Highway from Commercial Property

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On February 11, 2016

In its recent decision in In Re Revocation of the Access of Block #613, the New Jersey Supreme Court clarified the standard governing the revocation of direct access from a State highway to a property used for commercial purposes under the State Highway Access Management Act and the State Highway Access Management Code. The case outlines the requisite procedure for revocation of a commercial property’s direct access to a State highway by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).

No Further Extensions of New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On January 26, 2016

The state legislature took no action to further extend New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act (“PEA”) during the recently concluded legislative session, which means that permits and approvals extended by the PEA’s tolling period either have expired or will expire soon. Pursuant to the terms of the act, the expiration date for most approvals covered by the PEA are tolled through June 30, 2016, with certain approvals expiring before that date, making right now the time to evaluate projects approaching construction to determine which existing approvals were extended by the PEA, the exact expiration date of such approvals, and whether further extensions are available under other laws. After such an evaluation, developers and project managers can then determine whether approval rights can be fully vested prior to their expiration date and, if not, whether an extension, amendment, or renewal of the approval is required.

Settlement Update on New Jersey Tax Court’s Closely-Watched AHS Hospital Decision

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On November 13, 2015

Several months ago, this blog reported on Judge Vito Bianco’s denial of Morristown Memorial Hospital’s (the “Hospital”) property tax appeal. While this was only a Tax Court decision, it was closely-watched because it had the potential to eviscerate the property tax exemption for modern integrated hospitals, and potentially for other nonprofit organizations with complicated corporate structures or relationships.

New Jersey Appellate Court Rules Redeveloper Cannot Compel Amendments to Redevelopment Plan

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On November 10, 2015

Redevelopment agreements are the tool used to memorialize the respective obligations of the redeveloper and the municipality to effectuate a redevelopment project. Often, a concept plan has been agreed upon, but changes to the site-specific zoning embodied in the redevelopment plan are necessary in order for the project to advance. In an unpublished decision earlier this year, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, ruled in Fieldstone Associates, L.P. v. Borough of Merchantville, A-1239-13T3, that the municipality cannot be contractually compelled to adopt such amendments.

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