Meeting in the middle

The Permit Extension Act has been revised and approved by both houses of the state Legislature.

The bill — which correctly had been condemned by environmentalists and planning groups as a giveaway to developers (see my column)

The changes include not granting extensions for:

• federal approvals;
• permits issued under the Pinelands Protection Act “if the extension would result in a violation of federal law or any State rule or regulation requiring approval by the Secretary of the Interior”;
• permits for projects in “environmentally sensitive area(s)”;
• permits granted under the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act;
• permits granted under the Flood Hazard Area Control Act;
• permits for projects in designated “coastal centers.”
• municipal planning and zoning approvals for residential developments “where the master plan and zoning ordinance have been amended to rezone the property to industrial or commercial use subsequent to the expiration of the permit but prior to January 1, 2007, when the permit was issued for residential use.”

The compromise was agree to last week, with the blessing of the state’s major environmental groups because its scope has been significantly limited,and now goes to the governor.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet