Where will the next wave of New Jersey homes go? Will there be enough power to run them, and enough trains and roads to get people to work? Can a developer get a project approved in months instead of years?
And can the state do all that without paving over what makes it worth living in?
Those are the big questions. Later this month, some of the people who will help answer them will be in one room.
The 3rd Annual Rutgers Center for Real Estate Symposium, “A State Planned: How and Where Do We Grow from Here?” will be held Oct. 27, at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick. (Register here)
Several members of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Cabinet are expected to be part of the program, along with leaders in real estate, energy, transportation and economic development.
The symposium is presented with the law firm Sills Cummis & Gross. Ted Zangari, chair of the firm’s real estate department and redevelopment law practice group, said the state has reached a turning point.
“New Jersey is at an important inflection point,” he said. “The questions facing the real estate industry today go well beyond individual projects.”
The issues, he said, are basic but foundational:
- How the state provides housing, power and transportation;
- How the state attracts and retains businesses;
- How the state makes the development process more certain and predictable;
- How the state balances growth with preservation.
Here are the panels that will aim to answer them:
Housing, Powering and Transporting New Jersey
Theme: How can the state keep growing when housing, the power grid and the transportation system are already stretched?
Panelists:
- Priya Jain, commissioner, N.J. Department of Transportation
- Melanie Walter, executive director, N.J. Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
- Bob Gordon, former state senator and former Board of Public Utilities commissioner
- A senior representative from AECOM
- A senior representative from Community Investment Strategies
- A senior representative from FirstEnergy/Jersey Central Power & Light
Retaining & Attracting Businesses: What Will Actually Make a Difference?
Theme: What really decides where companies locate and grow: policy, incentives, infrastructure or something else?
Panelists:
- Senior official from the governor’s office
- Evan Weiss, CEO of the N.J. Economic Development Authority
- Amy Herbold, CEO of Choose New Jersey
- Executives with experience in corporate site selection, economic development and tax policy
Beyond Dashboards and Shot Clocks: How to Responsibly Fast-Track Projects
Theme: How can the state make permits and approvals faster and more predictable without cutting corners on planning and public input?
Panelists:
- Kelly Doucette, the state’s chief operating officer
- Jacquelyn Suarez, commissioner of the N.J. Department of Community Affairs
- John McCormac, mayor of Woodbridge
- A prominent planner
- An experienced redeveloper
False Choices — Sprawl or Preservation? Bridging the Divide
Theme: Can New Jersey make room for housing, jobs and investment while protecting its land, water and quality of life?
Panelists:
- Ed Potosnak, commissioner, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection
- State Sen. John McKeon
- Other leaders to be announced
