Overview

The Pinelands Infrastructure Fund (PITF) was established in 1985 to help local governments and utility authorities defray the costs associated with supporting the population and economic growth targeted to Pinelands Regional Growth Management Areas.  By supporting growth in the Regional Growth Area, the Act also simultaneously offered land value equity to property owners in the Preservation Area through implementation of the Pinelands Development Credit (PDC) Program.  The types of infrastructure that may be funded pursuant to the Act include wastewater treatment and collection systems, stormwater management facilities (including green infrastructure), water supply systems, and transportation projects

The PITF Act required the Pinelands Commission to create a Pinelands Infrastructure Master Plan. (See the 1986 Master Plan here.) The Infrastructure Master Plan accomplished three things. It delineated a funding structure for loans, grants, and local matching funds. It created a ranking system by which proposed infrastructure projects would be judged for funding eligibility. Lastly, it generated the list of projects that were deemed eligible for the initial round of funding. Projects proposed for funding must first be approved by the Pinelands Commission and the list is then forwarded to the State Infrastructure Bank for legislative approval.  The Pinelands Infrastructure Master Plan must be amended for each round of funding.  An amendment to the Pinelands Infrastructure Master Plan may alter the ranking system, the allocation of funds, and/or the projects deemed eligible for funding. 

Pinelands Infrastructure Master Plan Amendment

The Infrastructure Master Plan was amended by the Commission in February 2019 to adopt criteria for ranking project proposals and to allocate portions of the Fund to grants and loans. PITF funds are only available to aid with projects that serve a Pinelands Regional Growth Area. A copy of the amendment is available here on the Commission’s website.

The Commission subsequently requested project proposals under the amended ranking criteria. Ten project prposals were submitted for various water supply, wastewater, and transportation projects. The projects were evaluated and a Project Selection and Funding Level amendment to the Infrastructure Master Plan was drafted.  On July 13, 2019, the Pinelands Commission conducted a public hearing on the proposed priority list of projects.

At its September 13, 2019 meeting, the Pinelands Commission adopted the Pinelands Infrastructure Master Plan Amendment that identifies five infrastructure projects and recommends funding awards from the Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Fund. A copy of the Priority Project and Funding Award Amendment is available here. The amendment recommends funding for the following projects:

• Pemberton Township - Burlington County Institutes water system improvements
• Jackson Municipal Utilities Authority and Manchester Township - water and sanitary sewer main extensions
• Monroe Township - Williamstown Square transportation improvements project
• Galloway Township - Pinehurst Area sanitary sewer main extensions
• Winslow Township – Route 73 Redevelopment Area water and sanitary sewer main extensions

With the final approval of the Amendment, the infrastructure project sponsors may advance to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to complete the funding administrative process, although no project sponsor is required to continue. Project sponsors are responsible for completing the administrative process, as well as for obtaining any other permits or documents necessary for project construction. 

All available funding from the Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Fund has been allocated.  No additional project funding requests are being accepted at this time. Future funding rounds will depend upon repayment of long-term loans and are not currently planned.