Altogether, the new plan covers portions of 14 different communities in Hudson and Bergen counties. It calls for preservation and the continued cleanup of salt marshes and other wetlands along the Hackensack River, and for the redevelopment of 10 sites with a total capacity of about 24 million sf of commercial space and 2,750 hotel rooms over the next 25 years. Projected investment is in $5.6 billion, and job creation is projected in the 56,000 range. Also part of the package are parks, wildlife areas, golf courses and marinas.

"Our new master plan, the first in more than 30 years, reinforces our commitment to curbing uncontrolled growth and protecting open spaces," says Susan Bass Levin, NJMC chairman and commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. "Together with our municipal and county government partners, we will make the master plan a reality.

"This will change the course of economic growth and environmental preservation in the Meadowlands," Levin continues.

The 30-year reference is to the existing Meadowlands master plan, which dates back to 1970. The emphasis then was substantially more on commercial development, and less on wetlands preservation. For instance, while the earlier plan called for as many as 70,000 new homes, and new one limits residential development to just under 4,000 units. The older plan would also have allowed as much as one-quarter of the total acreage, mostly undeveloped wetlands, to be filled in for commercial development.

"This is an effort to give the salt marshes and the Hackensack River the protection and the wildlife management they need," says NJMC executive director Robert Ceberio. "At the same time, we're bringing people to the area, we're cleaning up polluted and blighted areas, and we're pursuing ambitious redevelopment projects that compliment the urban 'wilderness' the district offers."

The approval came in the form of two initiatives, one that puts new development regulations in place, and a second that sets a new zoning map. The NJMC simultaneously introduced a new regional transportation plan, Meadowlands Mobility 2030, which covers planning both within and outside of the district, including the utilization of mass transit.