The 2001 New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP) is in the process of being updated. It will be the 2025 SDRP, or State Plan. The update is being overseen by OPA staff and the State Planning Commission (SPC). It will be reviewed in phases through a process called cross-acceptance. Cross-acceptance is a process of comparing statewide planning policies at government levels with the purpose of attaining a high level of consistency among municipal, county, regional, and State plans and the State Plan. Through this process, the various stakeholders are able to partner to create a more meaningful and viable State Plan. To accomplish this, municipal, county, andregional master plans must be coordinated regionally with each “local vision” of growth and the community taken into consideration during the process. The Cross-acceptance Response Template is a questionnaire to be submitted by the negotiating entity and each participating municipality. To access the Cross-acceptance Response Template click here. 

The State Plan will reflect current planning principles and best practices in the areas of land use, transportation, housing, environmental protection and enhancement, economic development, provision of public infrastructure, historic preservation, social justice and adaptation to global climate change. For more information please visit https://www.publicinput.com/njstateplan

Once it is finalized, State agencies implement the SDRP through their functional plans, investment priorities, and administrative rules, while local governments implement it through their own planning objectives.  The State Plan is not designed to overrule, negate, or interfere with existing plans or regulations in communities, but it is intended to provide guidance and foster collaboration among stakeholders. 

The Goals of the 2025 SDRP are:

1. Reverse the Concentration of Adverse Environmental and Public Health Impacts in Overburdened Communities and Redress Inequities Resulting from Past Planning Actions
2. Effectively Address the Adverse Impacts of Global Climate Change
3. Protect, Maintain, and Restore the State’s Natural and Water Resources and Ecosystems
4. Protect the Environment; Prevent and Clean Up Pollution
5. Revitalize and Recenter the State’s Underutilized Developed Areas
6. Promote Economic Growth that Benefits all Residents of New Jersey
7. Provide an Adequate Supply of Housing For Residents of All Ages and Incomes, In Location-Efficient Places with Ready Access to the Full Range of Supportive Goods and Services
8. Provide Affordable and Effective Public Facilities and Services
9. Protect, Enhance, and Improve Access to Areas with Exceptional Archeological, Historic, Cultural, Scenic, Open Space and Recreational Value
10. Ensure Sound and Integrated Planning and Implementation at all Levels Statewide

The planned timeline for finalization is:

1. Release of Preliminary State Plan Spring 2024
2. Cross Acceptance Spring 2024
3. Public Hearings Summer 2024
4. Draft State Plan Fall 2024

You’re welcome to share your input on projects, surveys, initiatives and opportunities by going to: stateplan.comments@publicinput.com. You can also leave a voicemail comment by dialing 1-855-925-2801, passcode: 2813.