Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law a bill that requires NJ Transit to establish an office of transit-oriented development and conduct an annual inventory of its real estate holdings, potentially paving the way for new opportunities across the state.
NAIOP panel: Building trends pointing toward employee health, ecofriendly design
Amenities, collaboration space and access to transportation will all remain important in the office sector, experts say, but those features must be increasingly focused on wellness, sustainability and energy savings. That’s not to mention diversity and the ability for employees to choose how they work.
Growing fiscal problems demand action
Business as usual is just not possible anymore. New Jersey’s underperforming economy, bloated public sector spending and rising cost of living, along with Congress’s decision to reduce the state and local tax deduction, are forcing our collective hands to do better. There is no better place to start than at home in our local municipalities and school districts, where consolidations and sharing of services can produce both real financial savings and better outcomes. Simultaneously, state and county governments need to do likewise. Taxpaying businesses and residents deserve accountability, and this may require audits of how and where every dollar of taxpayer money is being spent.
DEP plans new and improved online permitting system, commissioner tells NAIOP
The Department of Environmental Protection is taking a page out of the TurboTax playbook — at least when it comes to permitting for land use and other areas — with plans to roll out a new electronic submission system for more than 100 permit activities in its ongoing effort to streamline New Jersey’s regulatory structure.
Logistics, workforce could help Jersey weather next downturn
With the incredible growth of this sector in recent years, could logistics help make New Jersey cliff-proof? I think so, but only if we take steps to address serious workforce challenges, especially those related to affordability and accessible transportation. With the increasing likelihood of a recession in 2020, we need to act now. The importance of the port region to New Jersey’s economy cannot be overstated, and continued investment is critical. We also need to solve the “last mile” conundrum that presents transportation and lifestyle challenges.
Living on borrowed time: Build Gateway now
No one infrastructure project has the potential to cripple our economy, disrupt our lives, lower real estate values and drive employers to seek alternative locations than the Gateway Project to expand and repair the Hudson River rail tunnels and replace the Portal North Bridge. Why, then, haven’t our local, state and national leaders yet secured the funding, approvals and entitlements needed to get this project done, despite the wakeup call back in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on a single tunnel in an area responsible for 20 percent of the U.S. GDP?
Office market conundrum: improving economic indicators amidst minimal absorption
Experts see a significant conundrum in the office market, as every economic indicator used to forecast absorption performed at or above the forecast level. Further, closely related macroeconomic variables — such as office-using employment — grew steadily, meaning that more office employees were added without much corresponding space leased over the previous six months. While the first quarter reading of just 1.3 million square feet absorbed may be a one-time anomaly, it cannot be ruled out that a structural shift in the office space market has occurred or is occurring.