TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono which would allow municipalities to post signs marking where development is planned to take place on a property and increase the notice requirements from 200 feet to 300 feet from a proposed development was approved by the Senate today.
“Residents in Edison and other municipalities have complained that current notification laws don’t reach out to a large enough area,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. “Especially in our more densely populated communities, the impact of new development can be felt by those living more than 200 feet away.”
The bill, a Senate Committee Substitute for S-1428 and S-1540, would require municipal officials to notify property owners within 300 feet of a proposed development — up from the current 200 feet standard — when the development is in the planning stages. The bill would also allow municipal officials to post signs, established under local ordinance, on property which is subject to a pending development application. The legislation stems from a proposed Walmart development in Edison, in which most of the neighboring residents were unaware when the planning application went through the process
“As the State works to combat sprawl and encourage smart growth, it is critical that the public have as much input into local development decisions as possible. These new notification requirements are still reasonable, yet they provide a greater opportunity to get that input from the community,” said Senator Buono.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 29-10. It now heads to the Assembly for their consideration.