ASSEMBLY, No. 504

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblyman ROBERTS

An Act concerning the regulation of riparian lands and supplementing Chapter 3 of Title 12 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. a. The Tidelands Resource Council shall approve any application for a riparian grant, lease or conveyance whenever the proposed activity:

    (1) promotes economic development in a municipality which has been designated, at least in part, an Urban Enterprise Zone pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1983, c.303 (C.52:27H-66);

    (2) has a demonstrable public benefit; and

    (3) is located in a city that:

            (a) has a population greater than 85,000 and less than 90,000; and

            (b) is located in a county of the second class with a population greater than 500,000 but less than 510,000.

    b. The Council shall not disapprove an application for a grant, lease or conveyance of riparian land pursuant to subsection a. of this section unless there is compelling evidence that substantial environmental harm would result from the approval of the application.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would require the Tidelands Resource Council to approve any application for a riparian grant, lease or conveyance where the proposed activity promotes economic development in a municipality which has been designated, at least in part, an Urban Enterprise Zone pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1983, c.303 (C.52:27H-66), has a demonstrable public benefit, and is located in a city that has a population greater than 85,000 and less than 90,000, and that is located in a county of the second class with a population greater than 500,000 but less than 510,000. The bill would also prohibit the council from disapproving such applications unless there is compelling evidence that substantial environmental harm would result from the approval of the application.

Requires Tidelands Resource Council to approve certain applications for riparian land use.