The popular Jersey City Summit is set to return on May 22, marking its eighth year as it prepares to welcome more than 1,000 attendees for the annual real estate industry showcase.
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.
Premature electrification: Will we really have the power to last?
I admire the governor’s confidence that our utility companies and infrastructure will be ready to satisfy this new desire for electric power. However, it is unclear if New Jerseyans will be clamoring for more electricity. Most New Jerseyans can neither afford the price of an electric vehicle nor the additional costs of electric appliances, nor the utility itself. Nevertheless, I applaud the governor for prioritizing the need to combat climate change through an accelerated target of 100 percent clean energy by 2035, ambitious goal-setting for electrification of the state’s building sector with an additional 400,000 residential and 20,000 commercial units by 2030 and collaborative planning for the future of the state’s natural gas utilities.
Maximizing value through placemaking
Thoughtful placemaking executed with the proper design strategies creates a vibrant, authentic sense of place offering value through rental and occupancy premiums and allows for real estate to evolve and meet current sustainable lifestyles. More than just mixed-use developments, successful placemaking projects seek to attract people, make them feel comfortable and activate the built environment in ways that encourage them to stay or return. Today’s residents, office tenants, retail patrons and pedestrians desire an integrated living, working, learning and shopping environment that is intentionally planned to create places that foster community and neighborhood growth.
