New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 50 - PINELANDS COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN › Subchapter 3 - CERTIFICATION OF COUNTY, MUNICIPAL AND FEDERAL INSTALLATION PLANS › Part I - PURPOSE › Section 7:50-3.1 - Purpose

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The Pinelands Protection Act is a legislative determination that management and protection of the essential character and ecological values of the Pinelands require a regional perspective in the formulation and implementation of land use policies and regulations. The Act also recognizes, as does this Plan, that local government participation in the management process is fundamental to achieving the goals and objectives of the Act. The Act and this Plan contemplate that local governments will be the principal management entities implementing the Plan, with the Pinelands Commission providing technical assistance to local authorities, monitoring development review and updating the Plan.
(b) The Act also contemplates that the Commission will achieve local participation in the implementation program and oversee implementation of the Plan. The Act provides for certification of local master plans and land use ordinances by the Commission, after which the certified plans and ordinances act as the governing regulations for the municipalities. However, if a local government should choose not to participate in the implementation program, then the Act requires that the Commission adopt and enforce such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the minimum standards of this Plan.
(c) This Plan is intended, therefore, to serve two functions: as a general guide for local authorities in preparing master plans and land use ordinances for certification by the Commission, and as a planning and regulatory mechanism that can be adopted and enforced by the Commission if a county or municipality fails to secure certification.
(d) A local authority that incorporates all of the elements of this Plan in its local plan and ordinances will be assured of certification. In contrast, municipal plans and ordinances that deviate from the essential nature of this Plan are unlikely to be certified. However, it is a policy of this Plan to allow municipalities the greatest degree of flexibility and discretion in the preparation of local plans and ordinances so long as the plans and ordinances do not conflict with the ultimate objectives and minimum requirements of this Plan. There are some elements of this Plan which must be strictly followed. For example, the maximum density limitations in the designated forest and rural development areas are critical to the overall objectives of the Plan for the distribution and intensity of land uses, as is the requirement that lands in designated growth areas be eligible for density bonuses in the form of transferred Pinelands Development Credits. Conversely, the distribution of densities and many of the uses authorized in the various areas are left to local discretion. This subchapter permits the Commission to assess local decisions on an individualized basis and will preserve local discretion to the maximum extent practical, provided that local preferences are in fundamental harmony with the overall objectives of this Plan.