Current Gov. Jim McGreevey wants to change that, and he laid out his plans before more than 200 business and government officials yesterday at the state-sponsored Smart Growth Summit on the campus of the College of New Jersey. "I am committed to a smart growth policy, one that protects the environment and promotes redevelopment," McGreevey told the group.

"We must stop subsidizing sprawl, focus on redevelopment and push for smarter regulations," he continued. "We should not be using taxpayers' money to promote sprawl--the state can't be part of the solution if it's part of the problem."

McGreevey did show support for the development community. "We aren't going to allow developers to be belittled by the incompetence or unethical behavior of certain local officials," a reference to the ongoing development wars that have erupted for years.

Speaking after the Governor, New Jersey DOT commissioner Jamie Fox concurred: "Developers aren't the enemy. The answer to controlling sprawl can't be [issuing] a building moratorium."

The Governor's plan is to focus authority for the effort on the Smart Growth Policy Council, which he signed into existence earlier this year. Among the specific proposals he floated were to take a fix-it-first approach to the transportation infrastructure, reducing new construction while increasing repairs to existing infrastructure. Most of it, of course is in targeted development and redevelopment areas, especially the cities.

McGreevey also promised to increase the commitment to so-called "transit villages," mixed use projects clustered around transportation centers. "Morristown, Pleasantville, Rutherford, South Amboy and South Orange are already participating in pilot programs," he pointed out.

Also on the agenda were increased emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfields, a stepped-up effort to preserve farmland, an employer-assisted housing program, a package of "super-incentives" for development in targeted areas and a tripling of Green Acres funding.

Finally, "the State of New Jersey spends upwards of $3 billion on capital projects, and the state capital budgeting and planning commission model hasn't worked well for years," McGreevey told the group. "I am directing [State] Treasurer John McCormac to develop a new mechanism for annual review and planning of state capital spending."