N.J. Admin. Code § 15:30-7.9 - Self-Assessment Report, form, content, adoption, and submission requirements

(a) The petitioner shall prepare a Self-Assessment Report. Municipal petitioners may use the document entitled "Municipal Self-Assessment Guidelines," (MSA) as posted on the Office of Planning Advocacy's website as a template for the report. The municipal self-assessment report shall include, at a minimum:

1. An introductory section that describes the petitioner's goals and objectives, planning issues, assistance sought from State agencies, including a list of benefits sought as a result of plan endorsement, any requests for mapping amendments to the State Plan, such as planning areas and centers in GIS format, and any requests for waivers pursuant to N.J.A.C. 15:30-7.6(a), including a justification for same;

2. An analysis of existing conditions, opportunities, challenges, and key characteristics of the area, and a review of planning activities and existing plans. If known, include any other pertinent data to ensure accurate mapping of centers and other features;

3. A zoning map in digital form or high-resolution scanned copy if GIS is unavailable, including a zoning schedule;

4. A community vision and public participation section addressing how any existing community vision supports the State Plan vision and visioning requirements that will or have been completed;

5. An inventory of recent and upcoming major development activities that addresses all major development and redevelopment activities that have occurred recently, or are in the planning or approval process or are under construction;

6. An inventory of State, Federal, and other programs, grants, and capital projects that lists and briefly describes all relevant projects or funding, involving State resources within the past three years;

7. An inventory and copies of annual Board of Adjustment and Environmental Commission reports for each of the past three years;

8. An inventory of Known Contaminated Sites as identified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 58:10-23.16-17, if not already provided in the Natural Resource Inventory;

9. An inventory of any enforcement actions taken by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and any other known or pending State agency actions for each of the past three years;

10. A statement of planning coordination with State, regional, and county agencies; adjacent municipalities and others in its planning efforts; including any inter-municipal initiatives for regional planning, shared services, emergency planning, resiliency to climate change, and to what extent land use and zoning impact all neighboring municipalities;

11. A sustainability statement that addresses the objectives of the New Jersey Energy Master Plan, including how planning and regulations support the goals of clean energy, climate mitigation and resiliency, social and environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, land and water conservation, agricultural systems, waste management, toxins reduction, environmental justice, and availability of community-wide multi-modal transportation opportunities;

12. An assessment of vulnerable areas, critical assets, and infrastructure using guidance set forth in the Plan Endorsement Guidelines or provided by the Department of Environmental Protection;

13. A statement that addresses consistency between population and trend data, community vision, local planning, zoning, and land use rules;

14. A statement of findings and conclusions regarding consistency with each Goal and Strategy of the State Plan, including an assessment of actions needed to achieve consistency;

15. A conclusion summarizing the argument for plan endorsement and proposed centers;

16. For petitioners representing a county or regional petition, specific reference shall be made to identify and evaluate countywide and regional efforts to provide for efficient use of natural and capital resources and to address planning for conditions for which a map change was requested in the latest round of cross-acceptance;

17. For petitioners representing a Special Resource Area, specific reference shall be made to identify and evaluate planning efforts made specifically to provide for protection of the special resource area; and

18. If any portion of a municipality is subject to the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Highlands Council Preservation Area, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, or the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (Meadowlands), their MSA should only contain data for that area within the jurisdiction of the State Planning Commission.

(b) The petitioner shall hold a public meeting in which the petitioner presents the findings and conclusions of the Self-Assessment Report to the relevant governing body or planning entity.

(c) The petitioner shall consider a resolution to pursue plan endorsement and authorize submission of the Self-Assessment Report to the Office of Planning Advocacy at a public meeting of the relevant governing body or planning entity.

(d) Submission of the Self-Assessment Report to the Office of Planning Advocacy as part of a petition for plan endorsement shall include the following:

1. Proof of public notice pursuant to N.J.A.C. 15:30-1.7(f) for all required public meetings in the form of an affidavit of publication;

2. A certified copy of the resolution from the governing body, or the relevant planning entity for a regional plan or special resource area plan, approving the Self-Assessment Report; and

3. Copies of the meeting minutes of each public meeting at which the Self-Assessment Report was reviewed and adopted. The minutes shall include a summary of public comments and copies of written comments filed before or during the public meeting.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 15:30-7.9

Amended and Recodified from 5:85-7.9 by 56 N.J.R. 41(b), effective 1/2/2024