Upon receipt of all items submitted to the Office of Planning Advocacy regarding Pre-petition materials, Plan Endorsement Advisory Committee, Municipal Self-Assessment, Community visioning sessions, and any other plan implementation mechanisms identified by State agencies to be evaluated as requirements for consistency, the Executive Director shall commence the consistency review and send copies of the plan and supporting documents to the State agencies represented on the State Planning Commission and any other relevant State or Federal agency.

Within 90 days of receipt of items submitted, the Office of Planning Advocacy, in consultation with the relevant Federal, State, and regional agencies, shall conduct a review of the plan for consistency with the goals, policies, and strategies of the State Plan, which shall conclude with issuance of a consistency review report to the petitioner. In conducting the consistency review, consideration will be given to the ability of the submitted plan to achieve the targets and indicators contained in the State Plan and Plan Endorsement Guidelines that are applicable to the petitioner; the extent to which the activities listed to be undertaken in each planning area can or will achieve consistency with the State Plan goals and implement Statewide sound planning policies, taking into account relevant State agency policies, rules, and regulations, and whether the plan is based on current information and data. Consistency will be evaluated based on all the provisions of the State Plan with particular emphasis on the following provisions:

1. The Statewide goals, policies and strategies;
2. The policies that apply to all planning areas;
3. The intentions for each relevant planning area;
4. The policy objectives for each relevant planning area;
5. If any change to a planning area boundary is proposed, the delineation criteria, intent and policy objectives for each planning area impacted by any boundary change;
6. The delineation criteria and intent for critical environmental sites, areas vulnerable to flooding and climate change-related hazards, and with special consideration of equity and environmental justice issues;
7. If there is a designated center or a center is proposed for designation, the policies for centers, including the center design policies, and environs; and
8. If a center is proposed to be designated or a change to the boundary of a designated center is proposed, the criteria for designating the type of center that is proposed to be designated or modified.

A consistent municipal plan shall contain items pursuant to N.J.A.C. 15:30-7.13

During the consistency review period, the Office of Planning Advocacy, at the discretion of the Executive Director, may hold a public hearing in an appropriate jurisdiction to receive testimony on the petition. The Office of Planning Advocacy shall hold a public hearing in an appropriate jurisdiction to receive public comment on the petition if the Executive Director receives a written request for such a hearing within 10 days of posting notice pursuant to N.J.A.C. 15:30-7.12 from:

• The petitioner;
• The governing body of a municipality or county, which is not the petitioner; or
• A total of at least 10 written requests from other governmental agencies, advocacy groups or individuals with a demonstrated interest in the petition.