By Assemblyman Alex Sauickie

It may be a sort of “perfect storm” that has led to warehouses popping up seemingly everywhere.

The ease of online shopping, which greatly increased during the pandemic lockdowns, has made it good for both sellers and consumers to have more storage for efficient shipping. At the same time, towns compete to get “clean ratables” – those that bring in big property tax dollars without costing the towns much in services provided – and warehouses fit the bill.

While warehouses are good for consumers and property tax paying households, they’re often not so good for drivers contending with more local truck traffic, residents who want to keep more open space, and people who just find them to be an eyesore.

What’s needed to balance the problems with the benefits is an approach that protects open space and gives municipalities tools that will help them make better decisions on locating warehouses. I’ve offered several proposals in the State Assembly to do that.

One that has bipartisan support would put a hold on approval of any speculative development of large warehouses on farmland until there are 500,000 acres of preserved farmland in the state. Speculative means there’s no contract with a tenant or buyer. To get an exception, the developer would have to commit to preserve farmland equal in size to the farmland proposed for development.

A 1998 report recommended that at least 500,000 acres of farmland be preserved as a critical mass of land for agricultural production and to assure the future of farming in our state. As of January 2023, only 248,009 acres of farmland are recorded as preserved.

Another bill would ask state voters to approve bond sales to fund grants to towns to help them buy the development rights for proposed warehouse sites. This would be a “win-win” for farm owners, the town, and residents who want to preserve farmland from warehouse development.

Finally, a series of bills I’ve proposed would empower towns to scrutinize warehouse proposals more effectively. A bipartisan bill unanimously approved by an Assembly committee requires the state to publish model ordinances on the siting of warehouses, and provides for partial reimbursement to towns for the costs of updating their zoning ordinances in relation to warehouses (that costs more than you’d think).

Another bill I introduced in the Assembly that was unanimously released from a committee requires the state to adopt regulations, or publish a regulatory guidance document to assist municipal planning boards and other agencies in considering applications for warehouse development. The guidance would include examples of questions and reports that would be helpful in scrutinizing warehouse applications. The state would also have to incorporate the guidance document into the educational course offered to land use officials, and to offer instruction on warehouse development as part of the basic course in land use law and planning.

This approach both preserves open space and keeps decisions on warehouse development in local hands, ensuring community empowerment and avoiding unnecessary, heavy-handed interference from the state.

I’m glad these proposals have so much bipartisan support, and hope to see them signed into law soon.

Alex Sauickie is a lifelong Jackson resident who represents his hometown and 13 other towns in the State Assembly.

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Note: This opinion piece originally appeared in The Jackson Times by Jersey Shore Online in its publication dated March 11, 2023.