News

New Articles

• Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant funds development with tax dollars - (9/9/09)
• New report critical of PILOTs and other tax abatements - (9/9/09)

Archives

• Klockner Woods: Four Years and Counting - (2/15/07)
• Rolling Acres Neighborhood Opposes Development - (2/15/07)
• SHOS joins effort to preserve NJ's first railroad - (8/26/06)
• NJ Supreme Court to Hear Levin Center Case - (10/25/06)
• No Decision Yet on Laura Ave. - (10/25/06)
• NJ Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Levin Properties - (7/19/06)
• Klockner Woods Wetlands Report Not Final - (6/13/06)
• Goodbye Dey Farm - (6/13/06)
• Goodbye Schisler Farm - (6/13/06)
• Hello New Road Through Farms - (6/13/06)
• RRC Zoning Challenged in Court - (4/27/06)
• Beautiful New Hiking Trail Opens - (6/13/06)

1) Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant funds development
     with tax dollars

Governor Corzine signed legislation July 27, 2009 to encourage more development in NJ by giving builders a share of tax money produced by their developments. It’s meant to spur job creation and urban and commercial development, but has been criticized as a drain on tax revenue, another opportunity for corruption, and an incentive to create more sprawl. Sierra Club’s Jeff Tittle called it “sprawlfare”.  The new law “does not require recipients of the tax breaks and other incentives to meet any new standards on transparency in exchange for government help”, according to the Newark Star Ledger. 

News story

2) New report critical of PILOTs and other tax abatements

A July 15, 2009 report “All That Glitters Isn’t Gold, Property Tax Abatements in New Jersey”, by The NJ Policy Perspective, a non-profit policy think tank in Trenton, criticizes tax abatements like the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) plan instituted for Hamilton’s American Metro redevelopment effort.

Read the full report