Alarmed by public outcry, the Governor's office has put the expansion plan on hold until the communities involved get to express their opinions. As to who would benefit by such a situation, suffice it to say that the legislation was drafted by the NJ Builders Association. The bill has been characterized by some in the environmental community as the biggest threat to local land use authority since the Mt. Laurel court decisions of the 1970s. The proposal includes a number of amendments to the Municipal Land Use Law which would greatly diminish the authority of local planning boards and shift control of the planning process to the State. All related municipal ordinances must be changed to conform by the effective date of June 3.
Narrows focus of uniform site improvement guidelines to engineering construction standards.
Exempts assisted living residences and comprehensive personal care homes from certificate of need. An identical bill S824 has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Schluter.