N.J. Admin. Code § 7:36-23.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 7:36-23.1 - Project award criteria

(a) The Department shall assign priority points in accordance with (b) below to each development project after it has received a complete application under N.J.A.C. 7:36-22.4. The assignment of priority points reflects the degree to which a proposed project is consistent with the most recent New Jersey Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (available from Green Acres), as supplemented and/or amended; the State Plan, New Jersey Meadowlands Master Plan, Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, or Highlands Regional Master Plan, as applicable; and the findings, declarations, and, as applicable, special considerations for funding awards set forth in the Green Acres laws and State open space and recreation priorities, and this chapter.

(b) The Department shall assign priority points according to the following protocol:

1. The Department may assign a maximum of 20 points based on the population density and the extent to which there is a shortage of similar recreational facilities within the area from which the majority of users of the proposed project are expected to come.

2. The Department may assign a maximum of 15 points based on the extent to which public involvement and support in the planning process for a project, beyond the minimum requirement of the newspaper notice required under N.J.A.C. 7:36-22.2, has been sought and obtained and based on the extent to which the project is consistent with applicable planning documents. Green Acres shall evaluate the degree to which:

i. There is public support, as demonstrated through letters from the municipal and county planning boards, park agencies, recreation departments, environmental commissions, civic groups and agencies, user groups, and the general public, zero to five points; and

ii. The project is consistent with the State Plan, New Jersey Meadowlands Master Plan, Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, or Highlands Regional Master Plan, as applicable; the New Jersey Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan; and local and county land use plans, especially open space and recreation elements thereof, as demonstrated in excerpts from or specific references to such plans in the project application, zero to 10 points.

3. The Department may assign a maximum of 24 points based on the overall quality of a project by evaluating the extent to which:

i. The project is accessible to population centers; is accessible by public transportation, walking or bicycling; and will create public access where none exists or where existing access is undeveloped or restricted, zero to four points;

ii. The project improves needed public access (visual and/or physical) to water, zero to six points;

iii. The project is designed to include multiple recreation and conservation purposes, use effective landscaping, provide opportunities for various active and passive recreational uses by diverse user groups, and include significant tree planting, zero to eight points; and

iv. The project is cost-effective as determined by weighing the quality of conservation or recreation opportunities provided by the project against the anticipated cost. Considerations include: cost of alternative locations and facilities; whether the project can be completed at a lower cost due to donations or partnerships; and cost of future operation and maintenance; negative six to six points.

4. The Department may assign a maximum of 14 points to a project that incorporates the following items:

i. Private investment or ecotourism potential, one point;

ii. Municipal and county (urban complex) strategic revitalization plans and programs consistent with the State Plan, New Jersey Meadowlands Master Plan, Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, or Highlands Regional Master Plan, as applicable, one point;

iii. Waterfront development or redevelopment, one point;

iv. Trails, bike paths, or greenways, one point;

v. Historic or archaeologic resource enhancement or preservation, one point;

vi. Wildlife habitat protection, one point;

vii. Protection of "Category One Waters," as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.4, and associated special water resource protection areas established pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:8; or protection of other water resources, one point;

viii. Multiple uses and provides active and passive recreation opportunities, one point;

ix. Development of a prior Green Acres-funded acquisition or development, one point;

x. Private donation of land, equipment, labor, or cash, one point;

xi. Design and construction that utilizes clean and renewable energy and maximizes energy efficiency, one point;

xii. Rehabilitation or redevelopment of an existing facility, one point;

xiii. The provision of recreation required as part of a school construction project in an Abbott district established pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:10A, one point; and

xiv. Reclamation of a former brownfields site, one point.

5. The Department may assign a maximum of 12 points to a project whose design minimizes adverse impacts on the environmentally sensitive features of the site, by evaluating the degree to which:

i. The facilities are proposed to be located in already cleared areas, to minimize additional clearing of trees and vegetation, zero to four points;

ii. The facilities are proposed to be located where topography and soil conditions are suitable, to minimize grading, excavation, fill, and drainage of a site, zero to four points; and

iii. The project retains, enhances, or establishes vegetative buffers, or incorporates other site-sensitive techniques, to minimize impacts on sensitive areas such as shellfish beds, beach/dune systems, forests, wetlands, steep slopes, endangered or threatened species habitat, and aquifer recharge areas, zero to four points.

6. The Department may assign a maximum of one point to a project that involves structures whose design and construction meet the most recent version of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED [LESS THAN] tm [GREATER THAN]) Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovations Version. Information on the USGBC LEED [LESS THAN] tm [GREATER THAN] System is available at www.usgbc.org or by writing to the U.S. Green Building Council, 1015 18th Street NW, Suite 508, Washington, DC 20036.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:36-23.1