A coalition of commercial real estate industry leaders has unveiled a new set of proposals for Gov.-elect Phil Murphy and state lawmakers, seeking to refine policies that have spurred economic development in recent years and address some of New Jersey’s most glaring needs.
Government & Public Policy
From zoning disputes to the federal tax code, public policy affects the commercial real estate sector far more than you may realize. For industry leaders, government and politics demand constant attention.
Local land use: Creating predictability, uniformity
Rather than try to replace the Municipal Land Use Law or strip local governments of the ability to control zoning in their town, the Smart Growth Economic Development Coalition has outlined what it says are reasonable, practical changes to help streamline development, create more certainty and encourage new business growth in the state. Those changes include steps such as standardizing non-residential site improvement requirements, creating more consistency across the entitlement process and softening the approval process for projects that will help create affordable housing.
Making land: Addressing the supply problem
The Smart Growth Economic Development Coalition has developed a plan for what it describes as “making land” in the heart of northern New Jersey. That means everything from repurposing government-owned facilities in prime locations to having the state take a lead role in acquiring, assembling and cleaning up individual parcels in order to create large development sites near the port.
All hands on deck: How Newark’s bid for Amazon HQ2 rallied landlords, city officials
While there are still months to go before Amazon reveals it selection for its HQ2 project, making the pitch has rallied developers and public-sector leaders in Newark in a way that the city hasn’t seen in recent memory. That show of unity was only amplified on Oct. 16, when Gov. Chris Christie announced that the state would officially support the city’s bid, even as several other cities in New Jersey jockeyed for the project.
