Opinion: Marking Time Until The Revised State Plan Can be Adopted
The blueprint for growth and preservation is integral not just to development but also to quality of life in New Jersey
As New Jersey residents watch a variety of important economic growth, Hurricane Sandy, and open-space protection bills wind their way through the Legislature this summer, it’s hard not to think how much further along we would be if New Jersey had adopted a new State Plan. 
New Jersey’s revised State Plan, our state’s blueprint for growth and land preservation, was originally set to be adopted by the State Planning Commission last year. The new State Plan — still in draft form — provides a broad framework for how and where development should take place in New Jersey, as well as criteria for conservation. Unfortunately, the revised State Plan is in a deep freeze, at least until after November’s election. Read more >>
Opinion: Resiliency — The Critical Next Stage Beyond Repair and Rebuilding
Spending billions to rebuild misses the crux of the issue, and only guarantees that billions more will be spent next time
Photo by Wendell A. Davis Jr./FEMA
Facing Our Future, a group of experts with substantial state government experience, recently released a report entitled, “Infrastructure Improvements Necessary for Economic Success.” It estimates that $70 billion in upgrades are needed to our state’s infrastructure — if you include energy, water, and transportation.
The choice is not between spending $70 billion and spending nothing. Rather, the choice is one between investing in our future to dramatically reduce the costs of tomorrow’s natural disasters or, alternatively, putting our heads in the sand by reacting to natural disasters only once they happen and spending billions of dollars to rebuild each time one comes down the pike.
The latter approach, as we have seen in the case of Sandy, results in greater loss of life, public health consequences, and severe economic losses and disruptions of residents and businesses. Read more >>
Opinion: Revitalizing NJ for Its Newest Generation of Knowledge Workers
The Economic Opportunity Act of 2013 could help fund the redevelopment of the state’s urban centers and suburban office parks
Earlier this month, both Senate and Assembly committees took up the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013, a mammoth piece of legislation that consolidates New Jersey’s disparate economic development incentive programs into two. Grow NJ is focused on attracting and retaining companies here in New Jersey, while the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant Program (ERG) creates incentives for development and redevelopment in urban and other designated areas.
The bills are moving fast and have garnered widespread support muted by some criticism.
Grow NJ provides financial incentives to companies to encourage economic growth and job creation, as well as to preserve jobs in New Jersey that are at risk of relocation. The bill links incentives to specific job creation goals based on industry type and minimum capital investment thresholds. It also provides increased tax credits to companies that locate in urban and distressed municipalities. Additional tax-credit awards are offered to companies locating in impoverished areas, building near public transit, providing jobs in New Jersey’s targeted growth industries, and adhering to green-design standards, among other categories. Read more >>
Opinion: Plans for Hoboken Terminal Could Put the City on the Right Track
High-density, mixed-use development could fuel city’s fiscal engine
Image Source: www.maggieblanck.com
The City of Hoboken held a public hearing earlier this month on proposed redevelopment of the 100-year-old Hoboken Terminal & Rail Yards.
Hoboken has an incredible opportunity — and responsibility — before it.
The site is one of NJ Transit’s main terminals and a major regional transportation hub, serving over 50,000 people daily with commuter rail, light rail, PATH and bus service. The terminal is a key gateway to New York City and its vast network of jobs.
It is also a historic asset. The only ferry and commuter rail terminal still in operation in the United States, it was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Read more >>
