NAIOP New Jersey was one
of the first organizations in New Jersey to recognize the value of real estate
and business interests working as a coalition.
We helped found the Smart
Growth Economic Development Coalition (the Coalition) to develop and implement
a legislative agenda. Most of NAIOP’s “Prescription for Prosperity” initiatives
became the core of the Coalition’s agenda for 2008-2009. The Coalition’s first
success was the Permit Extension Act, signed by Governor Corzine on September 6,
2008, and recently extended in January of 2010.
The similarities between
today’s economic conditions and those in the 1990s (which led to the passage of
the first Permit Extension Act) are remarkable. The attitude in Trenton today
is a different story. The first Permit Extension Act was enacted with the
support of the home builders alone. The 2008 Permit Extension Act would have
had no chance without the broad support of coalition groups and their members. Additional successes include:
- Licensed Site Remediation
Professionals Program
- Urban Transit Hub Tax
Credit Reform
- Business Employment Incentive
Program Reform
- Business Retention and
Relocation Assistance Grant Reform
- Economic Redevelopment
Growth Grant Program
- Urban Enterprise Zone Reform