The March 2022 issue is available now

Focus: Covid-19

March 2022 NJ Municipalities magazine cover

Next Steps

Balancing pre-COVID strategies with new realities in municipal planning

Over the past two years, COVID has caused major disruption to every industry, from supply chains, to healthcare, to retail. The realm of municipal planning is no exception. As cities and towns across New Jersey have grappled with the pandemic, municipal leaders have struggled to effectively plan and execute new projects. For example: How can you gather community input when it’s unsafe to come together? And, how do you revitalize a downtown if far fewer commuters and shoppers are visiting it?

At times, municipal planners might think the easiest way forward is tossing out all the old planning strategies and starting from scratch. But in fact, even in these turbulent times, many of the tried-and-true municipal planning strategies still hold up, they just need to be balanced with the new realities of COVID.

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Featured Article

Modernizing Municipalities

Preparing your building department for electronic permitting

In New Jersey, legislators have taken monumental steps towards modernizing the building permit process for homeowners, contractors, and municipalities. A new law, signed into effect on April 30, 2021, requires the DCA to establish, develop, implement and administer an “electronic permit processing review system” within 1 year. This internet based system will offer 24/7 access for the public to submit permit applications, plans and specifications online. Additionally, it will facilitate online inspection requests and information exchanges between parties.

By moving this process online, legislators hope to increase permit compliance by removing some of the barriers that may have prevented homeowners and contractors from going through the proper channels in the past. An electronic system will not only give contractors and homeowners the option to apply for permits and inspections online, it will also save time and money by eliminating paper, reducing the occurrence of incomplete forms and speeding up the process through real-time information exchanges.

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In this issue

Gold Dome: Nurturing Hollywood, Jersey Style

Managing the economy of a diverse state like New Jersey is complicated, especially because so many of the factors that drive commercial activity and job growth are completely beyond the state’s control. Among them: federal policies, international markets, global competition, and of course, health challenges like COVID-19.

Part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s approach has been to develop “new” industries that will take root in New Jersey and develop their own ecosystems of research, development, investment, and job opportunities.

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About NJ Municipalities

NJ Municipalities serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on municipal affairs, new initiatives and changing legislation for public officials in New Jersey. This magazine has been a news source for local government organizations for over 100 years and is available in print and digital format. Published monthly, with the exception of July, August and September.

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