NJ Regional Planning Summit: “Places That Work: Changing Land Use Policy for a Changing Economy”

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Strategically situated in the North East Corridor, New Jersey is a prime location for businesses with its well-educated workforce, enviable transportation system, renowned education institutions, and well-connected ports. Yet we are lagging behind most states in recovering from the great recession.

PlanSmart NJ’s 3rd Annual Regional Planning Summit will bring together experts in the development and local decision making field to explore how the current regulatory system might be reformed to achieve better outcomes on the ground to stimulate the economy, protect the environment, and encourage land use patterns that create more vibrant communities served by public transportation. Attendees will be given an opportunity in breakout groups to evaluate what they have heard and develop strategies that can become a package of reforms that PlanSmart NJ can advance.

Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 am: Registration and networking, sponsored continental breakfast.

8:30 – 8:35 am: Welcome and Logistics

8:35 – 9:05 am: Jeff Otteau, Otteau Valuation – Does Our Regulatory System Support an
Innovation Economy?
New Jersey is home to many assets and yet we are lagging behind many states in recovering from the recession. What is holding us back?

9:05 – 9:45 am: Response Panel:
This panel will present their perspective on the opening statements.

Katherine Kish, Einstein’s Alley – Moderator
Time is Money, Corporate Concerns – Tim Touhey, Investors Bank
Permitting and Government Review – Ray Ferrara, Kleinfelder
Zoning and Stranded Assets – Ralph Zucker, Somerset Development

9:45 – 9:55 am: Break

9:55 – 10:55 am: Community Development Panel
An innovation economy is more than clustering like businesses and linking to academic institutions. An innovation economy needs workforce housing, healthy communities, cultural and natural resources. This panel will discuss what regulatory changes are needed to support an innovation economy.

Henry Kent-Smith, Fox Rothschild – Moderator
Workforce Housing – David Fisher, K. Hovnanian Homes
Environmental Protection and Resiliency – Sandy Batty, Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions
Healthy Communities – Janet Heroux, Department of Health
Preparing the Suburbs for an Innovation Economy – Patrick Impreveduto, Mayor, Holmdel

10:55 – 11:55 am: Infrastructure Investment Panel
An innovation economy relies on an eco-system of infrastructure to support it. This panel will discuss the infrastructure that is needed to make the whole system work.

Pam Frank, Gabel Associates – Moderator
Economic Development – Mike McGuinness, NAIOP
Transportation/Logistics Infrastructure – Ruby Siegel, AECOM
Infrastructure Financing – David Zimmer, Environmental Infrastructure Trust, INVITED
State of the State’s Infrastructure – Sam Crane, Crane Consulting

11:55 – 1:45 pm: Working Lunch

12:20 – 1:45 pm: Breakout groups for facilitated discussion
The audience will break into 3 – 4 groups to have a facilitated discussion to develop a list of ideas on how the process should change. We will work to have a mix of developers, environmentalists, and local decision makers. We will explain that this exercise is to work toward building an agenda for that could be supported by a broad spectrum of stakeholders. The breakout groups will have three to four leading questions to make sure a variety of issues are addressed.

1:50 – 2:50 pm: Keynote: Moving Forward: The Challenges of the Future
Stephen Ezell, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation