N.J. Admin. Code § 7:36-12.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 7:36-12.2 - Preapplication procedures

(a) The Department encourages local government units to attend a Green Acres sponsored informational workshop, when offered, and to request a preapplication conference with Green Acres as early as possible, prior to application submission, to discuss project eligibility, award criteria, and application and project administration requirements.

(b) The local government unit shall hold a public hearing on a proposed development project before it submits its application for Green Acres funding.

1. The local government unit shall publish a notice of the public hearing in the official newspaper of the municipality in which the proposed project site is located, and, if the local government unit is a county, also in a newspaper of general circulation in that county. The hearing must be advertised as a display ad at least 15 days before the hearing. The hearing notice must specifically reference the proposed Green Acres development application.

2. The public hearing must be held in the evening, and may be held as part of a public meeting, as long as the hearing is properly advertised. Only the proposed development project, and other proposed Green Acres projects, if any, shall be the subject matter of the public hearing.

3. The elected governing body of the local government unit shall conduct the public hearing on the proposed development application.

(c) For a development project potentially involving a riparian interest, a local government unit shall contact the Bureau of Tidelands Management within the Department to determine the State's interest or claim in the proposed project site and forward the results of the inquiry with their application for Green Acres funding. Information about riparian lands can be found at www.nj.gov/dep/landuse/tideland.html or by writing to Bureau of Tidelands Management, Land Use Regulation Program, PO Box 439, Trenton, New Jersey 08625.

(d) For a development project that impacts an undisturbed portion of the project site, the local government unit shall submit a Natural Heritage Data Request Form (available from the Department's Office of Natural Lands Management at www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/datareq.html or by writing to Natural Heritage Program, P.O. Box 404, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0404). The results of the search must be attached to and discussed in the environmental assessment submitted as part of the local government unit's application for Green Acres funding at 7:36-12.4. The Department encourages each local government unit also to review and consider the applicable Landscape Maps, developed by the Department's Division of Fish and Wildlife, during the formulation of its recreation and planning goals, and as part of its preparation of a Green Acres application. Information about the Landscape Maps can be found at www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensp/landscape or by writing to the Division of Fish & Wildlife, P.O. Box 400, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0400.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:36-12.2