Andrzejczak Bill to Prevent Civilian Encroachment of Military Installations Now Law

TRENTON – Legislation Assemblymen Sgt. Bob Andrzejczak and Sgt. Bruce Land sponsored to prevent land use conflicts due to civilian development near military installations is now law.
“The goal of this law is to ensure that communities surrounding installations and members of the military on the bases don’t run into conflict simply because of a lapse in communication,” said Andrzejczak (D-Cape May/Atlantic/Cumberland), an Army veteran who served in Iraq. “Giving both commanders and government officials a seat at the table during the planning process can help resolve any existing land use problems and avoid future conflicts altogether.”
The law (A-2518) requires the Military and Defense Economic Ombudsman to communicate with installation commanders and representatives of the state, counties and municipalities to minimize land use conflicts between installations and local governments’ planning units. It also requires the land use plan element of municipal master plans to show existing and proposed locations of military facilities and to incorporate strategies to minimize undue encroachment upon military installations.
The measure incorporates recommendations from the July 2015 Military Installation Growth and Development Task Force report. The task force was created by executive order upon the urging of the New Jersey Council on Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs.
“The insights of commanders can go a long way toward avoiding conflicts with neighboring communities,” said Land (D-Cape May/Atlantic/Cumberland), who served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. “By making sure that their voices will be heard, New Jersey can promote land use compatibility and the viability of military installations.”
New Jersey’s military installations provide 45,631 direct jobs and 27,603 indirect jobs, according to the report. The bases add $6.5 billion of wealth to the state’s gross domestic product and create $9.6 billion in business revenues.
The five military installations located throughout New Jersey are: Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington and Ocean counties; Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County; United States Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County; Air National Guard 177th Fighter Wing in Atlantic County; and United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May in Cape May County.  
The measure gained unanimous approval from both houses of the legislature prior to being signed into law by the governor.