Bill Text: NJ A3685 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes pilot program in Office of Planning Advocacy to reimburse municipalities for certain expenditures concerning warehouse development; appropriates $1 million.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee [A3685 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3685-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes pilot program in Office of Planning Advocacy to reimburse municipalities for certain expenditures concerning warehouse development; appropriates $1 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a pilot program in the Office of Planning Advocacy to reimburse certain municipal expenditures concerning warehouse development and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Office" means the Office of Planning Advocacy in the Department of State as established and constituted pursuant to section 6 of P.L.1985, c.398 (C.52:18A-201) or any successor agency.
"Warehouse" means any site, building, room, structure, or facility used primarily for the storage of goods intended for sale or distribution.
2. a. There is established in the Office of Planning Advocacy a pilot program for the purpose of reimbursing a municipality for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in reexamining and updating municipal zoning ordinances, and conducting certain mitigation studies, concerning warehouse development. The pilot program shall offer grant funding to reimburse a municipality for:
(1) a reexamination of the municipality's master plan and adoption of a warehouse-specific zoning ordinance consistent with the office's guidance on warehouse development and compatible with a model ordinance developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill); or
(2) a mitigation study on the potential effects of pending warehouse development site plan applications and, regardless of the results of the mitigation study, adoption of a warehouse-specific zoning ordinance consistent with the office's guidance on warehouse development and compatible with a model ordinance developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. A municipality may submit to the office an application, in a form and manner to be determined by the office, for a reimbursement grant for expenses incurred pursuant to the provisions of subsection a. of this section. The application shall require a municipality to demonstrate that the municipality has enacted an ordinance consistent with the office's guidance on warehouse development and compatible with a model ordinance developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) as a condition of receiving a reimbursement grant.
c. The office shall develop criteria to prioritize reimbursement grant applications from municipalities that are in most need of financial assistance.
3. The office shall promulgate, not later than the first day of the third month next following enactment of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), one or more model zoning ordinances detailing different regulatory options for the siting of warehouses that may impose a negative impact on land use, traffic volume, infrastructure, storm water runoff, public health, or any other impact category determined by the office, and instead directs development towards areas determined by the office to be best suited for warehouse development, such as locations near to interstate, State, or major arterial highway exits, roadways equipped to handle large volume of heavy vehicles, and areas able to handle the water and waste water issues associated with warehouse development.
4. The office shall, upon
the exhaustion of funds allocated to the pilot program, submit a report to the
Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52.14-19.1), to the
Legislature, evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, detailing the
expenditure of the funds appropriated pursuant to section 5 of
P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and making any
recommendations on the feasibility of implementing the pilot program on a
permanent basis.
5. There is appropriated from the General Fund the sum of $1,000,000 to the Office of Planning Advocacy for the purposes of effectuating the provisions of this act. The office may expend monies appropriated pursuant to this section for appropriate and reasonable administrative expenses incurred in the administration of the pilot program.
6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission of the report required to be submitted pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a pilot program in the Office of Planning Advocacy (office) for the purpose of reimbursing a municipality for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in reexamining and updating municipal zoning ordinances, and conducting certain mitigation studies, concerning warehouse development. The bill defines "warehouse" to mean any site, building, room, structure, or facility used primarily for the storage of goods intended for sale or distribution.
The pilot program is to offer grant funding to reimburse a municipality for:
1) a reexamination of the municipality's master plan and adoption a warehouse-specific zoning ordinance consistent with the office's guidance on warehouse development and compatible with a model ordinance developed pursuant to the bill; or
2) a mitigation study on the potential effects of pending warehouse development site plan applications and, regardless of the results of the mitigation study, adoption of a warehouse-specific zoning ordinance consistent with the office's guidance on warehouse development and compatible with a model ordinance developed pursuant to the bill.
The bill provides that a municipality may submit to the office an application, in a form and manner to be determined by the office, for a funding reimbursement grant for expenses incurred consistent with the provisions of the bill. The application is to require a municipality to demonstrate that the municipality has enacted an ordinance consistent with the office's guidance on warehouse development and compatible with a model ordinance developed pursuant to the bill as a condition of receiving a reimbursement grant.
The office is to develop criteria to prioritize reimbursement grant applications from municipalities that are in most need of financial assistance.
The bill provides that the office is to promulgate one or more model zoning ordinances detailing different regulatory options for the siting of warehouses that may impose a negative impact on land use, traffic volume, infrastructure, storm water runoff, public health, or any other impact category determined by the office, and direct development towards areas ideally suited to handle warehousing impacts.
The bill further provides that the office, upon the exhaustion of funds allocated to the pilot program, is to submit a report to the Governor and to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, detailing the expenditure of the appropriated funds, and making any recommendations on the feasibility of implementing the pilot program on a permanent basis.
The bill appropriates from the General Fund the sum of $1,000,000 to the Office of Planning Advocacy for the purposes of the pilot program. The pilot program is to expire upon the submission of the report required by the bill.
