Developers, Politicos Agree on One Thing: Predictability

"New Jersey is on the right track [because of] tough decisions we've had to make in the last two years," McGreevey told attendees, reiterating an oft-delivered message of his administration. "We need policies to redevelop the older suburbs and the cities while working to protect the environment."

Developers and politicos alike agreed that as part of the effort to "balance economic development with environmental concerns," as state senator John Adler (D-6th District) put it, "we need to create predictability" about where you can and can't develop.

Assembly speaker Albio Sires (D-33rd District) added that "coming up with predictability is the most difficult task we have." And senate minority leader Leonard Lance (R-23rd District) emphasized that "smart-growth doesn't mean no-growth."

Among the various issues targeted for activity by the legislature this year, according to the panelists, were everything from bumping up brownfields redevelopment efforts to re-introducing transfer of development rights legislation that would "help shift development to designated areas," according to Adler.

But assembly minority leader Alex DeCroce (R-26th District) expressed concern about TDR legislation "because of what it might do to the municipalities. The state comes in and tells the municipalities to create a master plan, and then comes back and tells them to do something else."

Another issue is impact fees, especially relating to residential development and its impact on local schools. But, according to DeCroce, developers "are already paying 'impact fees.' Whenever a water or sewer line has to be extended, or acceleration or deceleration lanes have to be added for traffic, municipalities should be paying for that, but they're making the 'rich' developers pay for these."

And while some have suggested that DEP commissioner Bradley Campbell is anti-growth, Campbell led off the cabinet members panel by reiterating that "smart-growth is not no-growth. And in the right places, growth and development could be made faster and easier," a reference to the state's map-based growth management agenda.

Susan Bass Levin, the state's commissioner of community affairs, added that the growth management process has revolved around "integrating the various state agencies into the effort." She noted that her department has created an Office of Smart Growth, which "acts as a mediator between developers, communities and state agencies. It's a process of looking at the return on investment for both developers and communities."

On the subject of transportation, DOT commissioner Jack Lettiere said that, "we have to make better use of the highway capacity we have, because in many cases there isn't room to widen our highways."

Noting that most commercial destinations in the state are accessed directly from major roadways that subsequently become flooded with traffic, Lettiere called for new secondary roads and bypasses "to interconnect business parks, shopping centers and neighborhoods, to keep traffic off the state highways and reduce trips."

Lettiere also stressed that ongoing work to rebuild and expand the New Jersey's transportation infrastructure depends on re-authorization of both the state's transportation trust fund and federal funding. "We're running out of money," he concluded. "I urge everyone to get actively involved in getting that done."