NAIOP New Jersey was one of the first organizations in New Jersey to recognize the value of real estate and business interests working as a coalition.

We helped found the Smart Growth Economic Development Coalition (the Coalition) to develop and implement a legislative agenda. Most of NAIOP’s “Prescription for Prosperity” initiatives became the core of the Coalition’s agenda for 2008-2009. The Coalition’s first success was the Permit Extension Act of 2008, and most recent was the January 2012 signing of critical Water Quality Management Planning legislation.

The similarities between today’s economic conditions and those in the 1990s (which led to the passage of the first Permit Extension Act) are remarkable. The attitude in Trenton today is a different story. The first Permit Extension Act was enacted with the support of the home builders alone. The 2008 Permit Extension Act would have had no chance without the broad support of coalition groups and their members. Additional successes include:

• Grow NJ incentive
  
• Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Program
• Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Reform
• Business Employment Incentive Program Reform
• Business Retention and Relocation Assistance Grant Reform
• Economic Redevelopment Growth Grant Program
• Urban Enterprise Zone Reform
• Time of Application Law
• Vertical General Development Permit