Future Facts
Redevelopment Forum Approved for Continuing Education Credits
May 16th, 2013 by New Jersey Future staff
We’re delighted to announce that our 2013 Redevelopment Forum has now been approved for the following continuing education credits:
- 6 AICP CM credits
- 6 ASLA credits
- 5.8 CLE credits
Please print the confirmation which certifies your attendance. If you have any questions, please contact Marianne Jann (mariannejann
njfuture
org) or reach by phone at 609-393-0008 ext. 101.
Avoid Penny-wise, Pound-foolish Approach to Resiliency
May 16th, 2013 by Chris Sturm
The billions of dollars funneled into Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts — including the $1.83 billion recently made available by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan — are a human and humane response to the urgent needs of tens of thousands of people.
They also can be considered a down payment on the past; that is, they’re intended to help homeowners, renters and businesses put back what was in place before the superstorm made landfall.
Preparing for the future is not complicated, but it’s also not sexy or exciting. But now that those short-term funds and programs are in place, it’s time to look forward.
How can we translate our heightened awareness of risk into tangible, practical steps that will make our communities stronger and safer? How can we ensure that the remaining billions in federal rebuilding funds enable a fundamental, longer-term shift in state and local government decision-making?
New Jersey Future Receives Housing Award
May 7th, 2013 by New Jersey Future staff
From left to right: Central Jersey Housing Resource Center Board President John Mooney; New Jersey Future Executive Director Peter Kasabach; Central Jersey Housing Resource Center Executive Director Sharon Clark; and New Jersey Future Research Director Tim Evans.
On April 18 New Jersey Future was presented with the Central Jersey Housing Resource Center Outstanding Achievements in Affordable Housing Award, for ”outstanding leadership in housing issues and land-use policies.” Each year, CJHRC selects outstanding elected officials — local, state, and federal — as well as public servants, volunteers, banks, developers, attorneys and housing experts for exemplary service to the affordable housing sector. This year, in addition to recognizing the organization’s long-time achievements, CJHRC singled out New Jersey Future Research Director Tim Evans for his work on the 2012 report Targeting Transit: Assessing Development Opportunities Around New Jersey’s Transit Stations, and the opportunities it highlighted to create much-needed affordable housing near transit. We’re honored to be so honored!
Cluster Development Bill Sails through the Assembly
April 30th, 2013 by Chris Sturm
Awaits Senate vote; may come as soon as May 13, 2013.
Farmland in N. Hanover. Photo: Nicole Heater
The New Jersey Assembly overwhelmingly approved the Cluster Development Bill, 74-0-1, on Monday, April 29. The bill moves on to the full Senate, where it could be posted for a vote as early as May 13.
Preserving open space and farmlands, as well as protecting historic sites are goals that everyone shares,” said prime sponsor Asm. Rob Clifton, R-12, in a recent statement. “This measure clarifies a town’s developmental goals as it provides a roadmap that puts landowners, developers and a town on a path to smart growth.”
New Jersey Future has worked with a powerful, diverse coalition to craft the cluster development bill, which has been introduced as A3761 and S2608. Special recognition goes to bipartisan sponsors Asms. Green (D-22), Clifton (R-12) and Handlin (R-13) and Sens. Van Drew (D-1) and Oroho (R-24).
To learn more about the bill’s provisions, get updates, or sign up as a supporter, visit our informational web page.
Sandy Recovery Action Plan Doesn’t Commit to Resiliency Planning, Sustainability
April 29th, 2013 by New Jersey Future staff
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan’s announcement that the first $1.83 billion in HUD Sandy recovery funds has been approved and will be released is welcome news for the many in New Jersey who desperately need these funds in order to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. However, we remain concerned that, despite requests to include it, insufficient attention is being paid to the need for robust planning for sustainability and longer-term resiliency.
Without dedicated funds for resiliency planning and a strong state commitment to move them forward, our communities have neither the support nor the resources to rebuild in a “safer, smarter, stronger” way, as Secretary Donovan said in his announcement. We hope that the next round of CDBG funding, combined with other federal disaster spending, will address these critical issues.
Read our full statement.
Regional Planning in the Pinelands: Well-Directed Growth, but What Effect on Natural Resources?
April 11th, 2013 by Tim Evans
Stafford Forge, Ocean County. Source: New Jersey Pinelands Commission
New Jersey has a long and proud history of regional planning. Perhaps the crown jewel in this history is the landmark 1979 Pinelands Protection Act, which established a regional plan (the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, or CMP) and governance structure (the Pinelands Commission) restricting development in environmentally sensitive areas in order to preserve natural and cultural resources for millions of New Jerseyans in the southern half of the state. Underlying the CMP is the principle that future growth should be directed into locations that already have the infrastructure in place to support development, or where such infrastructure can most efficiently be extended while minimizing the effects on the environment. Read the rest of this entry »
Concern Expressed Over Lack of Planning Funds in Sandy Recovery Action Plan
April 4th, 2013 by Elaine Clisham
New Jersey Future joined a range of other groups that today sent a letter to U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan expressing concern over Gov. Chris Christie’s final Sandy Recovery Action Plan, which the governor has submitted as his proposed blueprint for how Sandy recovery grants from HUD will be disbursed. President Obama has appointed Secretary Donovan to head a regional task force overseeing rebuilding efforts in the wake of the superstorm. Read the rest of this entry »
Forum Roundup: The Balancing Act Between Ports and Their Hosts
April 4th, 2013 by New Jersey Future staff
This article was written by former New Jersey Future intern Jorge Santos.
Aerial view of port facilities along Newark Bay. Source: flickr user Maureen
Robert Powell Ph.D., managing director at Nassau Capital Advisors LLC, introduced the Ports and Redevelopment session at New Jersey Future’s annual Redevelopment Forum by reminding attendees that port development depends not just on the facilities of the port itself but also on land-based facilities related to warehousing and distribution. The session focused on how the conflict over land that is readily usable for the port but that is also suitable for other kinds of development, such as residential or commercial, is playing out and what’s at stake. Read the rest of this entry »
Incorporating Health Into All Policies
April 1st, 2013 by New Jersey Future staff
Sources: Centers for Disease Control – National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey/U.S. DOT – Federal Highway Administration, Annual Vehicle Distance Traveled in Miles and Related Data
On March 18, Together North Jersey, the regional sustainable planning initiative funded by a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, co-hosted a day-long workshop to introduce the concept of Health in All Policies. Health in All Policies is an approach to policy development that builds consideration of public health impacts into decision-making in a wide range of “non-health” policy areas such as transportation, housing, environment, energy and economic development. It argues that the choices made by non-health decision-makers, whether at the state or local level, within the public or private sector, have tangible impacts on the health of citizens. Read the rest of this entry »
Forum Roundup: Creative Housing Solutions for Changing Demographics
March 26th, 2013 by Christine Barcia Moore
Jackson Green in Jersey City. Source: GRO Architects via JCRA
David Fisher PP, vice president of governmental affairs for K. Hovnanian Homes, opened the Creative Housing Solutions for Changing Demographics panel discussion at New Jersey Future’s 2013 Redevelopment Forum by focusing on the demographic trends that are driving market demand for housing. According to Fisher, the housing industry is looking at three future growth sectors: echo-Boomers (the children of the Baby Boomers, ranging in age from the mid-20s to early 30s); aging Baby Boomers; and foreign-born populations. He noted a decline in the U.S. birth rate and in the New Jersey school-age population as shaping the changing demand for housing away from single-family homes and toward multi-family units. Read the rest of this entry »
