Gibbons Law Alert

Gibbons Law Alert

Category: Development/Redevelopment

Legislature Approves One-Year Extension of New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On December 22, 2014

Our recent blog noted that New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act (“PEA”) was to sunset at the end of this year unless a further extension was enacted into law. On Thursday, December 18, both the Assembly and the Senate voted to approve a one year extension of the PEA. The legislation now awaits action by the Governor. New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act (“PEA”) was initially enacted in 2008 in response to “the crisis in the real estate finance sector of the economy.” The purpose of the PEA was to toll through the end of 2012, expiration of various approvals necessary for development. The PEA was later amended in 2012, due to the then “current national recession,” to extend the tolling of the expiration of those approvals until December 31, 2014. Unless the Legislature approves a further extension, the PEA will sunset at the end of this year, posing a problem for projects which have not yet started construction, because their approvals may expire.

Highlands Council Schedules Stakeholder Outreach Workshops and Will Accept Written Comments

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On December 12, 2014

The New Jersey Highlands Council has scheduled three Stakeholder Outreach Workshops to solicit public input on the Highlands Regional Master Plan (RMP) as part of its RMP Monitoring Program. According to public notices issued by the Highlands Council, the workshops are intended to provide members of the public with an opportunity to learn more about the monitoring program and to provide input. The notices also state, “[t]he Monitoring Program evaluates progress toward achieving the goals of the Highlands Regional Master Plan,” and “[t]he program requires identification of indicators and milestones to measure the impact of the Regional Master Plan on water resources, agriculture, housing, transportation, and economic development within the Highlands Region.”

Tolling of Approvals Under New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act: Will The End Of The Year Be The End Of The Line? Approved Projects Could Be At Risk

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On November 24, 2014

New Jersey’s Permit Extension Act (“PEA”) was initially enacted in 2008 — in response to “the crisis in the real estate finance sector of the economy” — for the purpose of tolling, through the end of 2012, expiration of various approvals necessary for development. It was later extended, in 2012, due to the then “current national recession,” to extend the tolling of the expiration of those approvals until December 31, 2014. Unless the Legislature approves a further extension, the PEA will sunset at the end of this year, and that could pose a problem for projects which have not yet started construction, because their approvals may expire.

NJDEP Document Review Process Curtailed: More Autonomy for LSRPs

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On September 22, 2014

Unable to keep up with submittals from Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRP) and with the resulting increase in review times, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has recently decided to defer the review of non-Response Action Outcome (RAO) documents until an RAO is submitted. This announcement comes four years into the LSRP program, which as designed, has begun to eliminate the backlog of contaminated sites awaiting attention. However, the very success of the LSRP program has created its own backlog as NJDEP finds itself falling behind in review of submittals.

Potential Change Coming to NJ’s Economic Opportunity Act

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On September 3, 2014

The “New Jersey Economic Opportunity Act of 2013” overhauled New Jersey’s economic development programs. The Act retooled and substantially enhanced the State’s job creation and retention program known as the Grow NJ Assistance Program (Grow NJ), as well as the Economic Redevelopment Growth (ERG) Grant Program, the incentive program that provides gap financing to developers. As we wrote in Commerce magazine, Grow NJ and ERG improve New Jersey’s economic competitiveness with our neighboring states and may be game-changers for businesses and developers. After seeing the programs in action for under a year, the Legislature has revisited the programs to make technical changes and to further enhance NJ’s economic development arsenal.

Gibbons Director Installed as Secretary of the Land Use Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On August 6, 2014

Howard D. Geneslaw, a Director in the Gibbons Real Property & Environmental Department, was installed as Secretary of the Land Use Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) at the section’s annual meeting, held during the NJSBA’s Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City in mid-May. This position places Mr. Geneslaw in line to become Vice Chair of the section next year, and Chair of the section the following year.

David J. Freeman to Chair Panel on Brownfield Reform at New York State Bar Association Environmental Law Section Fall Meeting

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On August 4, 2014

David J. Freeman, a Director at Gibbons P.C., will chair a panel on reform of New York State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program at the Fall Meeting of the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. The panel will discuss the Governor’s and Legislature’s actions this year―passage of an extension of the tax credit aspects of the Program, without enacting underlying reforms―and what is likely to happen next year. It will feature such prominent experts as Edward McTiernan, General Counsel of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Christopher Goeken, Director of Public Policy and Governmental Relations of the New York League of Conservation Voters; Darren Suarez, Director of Governmental Affairs of the New York State Business Counsel; Jody Kass, Executive Director of New Partners for Community Revitalization; Philip Bousquet, Partner at Bousquet Holstein; and Linda Shaw, Partner at Knauf Shaw.

NJDEP Clarifies Obligation to Remediate Contamination from Historic Pesticide Use

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On June 25, 2014

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has more formally confirmed the scope of the responsibility to address historic pesticide use on commercial and industrial properties: namely that a party need not remediate historic pesticide use unless there is a land use change to residences, schools, child care centers and playgrounds. On June 20, 2014, the NJDEP published an additional notice for Response Action Outcomes, the written determination by a Licensed Site Remediation Professional that a remediation is complete, which specifically permits completion of a remediation without investigation of contamination from historic pesticide use. The notice would only apply to contamination from the application of such pesticides to, for example, a former orchard or farm, but not contamination from a discharge caused by the mixing, manufacturing or other handling of such chemicals. NJDEP approval is not required for an LSRP to use this notice.

Having Trouble Filling Out the New SEQRA Environmental Assessment Forms? NYS DEC Has Scheduled a Series of Webinars to Help Shed Some Light on the Streamlined and Revised Forms

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On April 7, 2014

It’s been six months since the new model State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) Environmental Assessment Forms (EAFs) became effective on October 7, 2013, and many individuals are still scratching their heads on how to efficiently and effectively complete the forms. In an effort to assist and instruct government agencies and the public on how to use the new model EAFs, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) has announced a series of webinars to be held this spring. The webinars are designed to demonstrate how the new EAFs, the web-based framework for the guidebooks developed by NYS DEC, and the EAF Mapper, a software mapping program, work together to streamline the EAF completion process by both project sponsors (applicants) and reviewing agencies.

David J. Freeman to Speak at Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast Conference

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Posted in Development/Redevelopment / Environmental and Green Issues

On February 25, 2014

David J. Freeman, a Director in the Gibbons Real Property & Environmental Law Department, will be a speaker at the upcoming Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast Conference on March 5, at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. Mr. Freeman will be discussing proposed changes to the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Act as a member of a panel entitled “Where Are The Incentives And How Could Proposed Legislation Affect Them?” As noted in our recent blog, legislation proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of his 2014 budget would have a major impact on the types of projects that are accepted into the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP), and the extent to which those projects are eligible for state tax credits.

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