Just before the end of 2014, Governor Christie signed legislation that extended the time periods contained in the New Jersey Permit Extension Act. The Permit Extension Act deals with various land use approvals and permits that were either approved and/or set to expire after January 1, 2007.
The purpose of the Permit Extension Act was to acknowledge the difficult economic climate and to toll the expiration dates for the covered permits and/or approvals. Without the Permit Extension Act, many developers who were unable to move forward with their projects, were conceivably going to have their approvals/permits lapse. This would force developers to through the costly and time consuming process of reapplying and obtaining various permits and approvals under the current statutory regulations, or perhaps simply not be able to re-obtain the lapsed approvals.
Previously the Permit Extension Act ensured that the covered approvals/permits would not lapse prior to December 31, 2014. Pursuant to the recent legislation, that date has now been extended through at least December 31, 2015
However, it is important to note that not every permit or approval obtained or set to expire after January 1, 2007 is covered by the Permit Extension Act. The approvals may extend up to an additional six months for any unexpired term of the approval or permit, thus not later than June 30, 2016, Moreover, further extensions as permitted by law are not precluded when the tolling period expires.
To ensure your project’s success and that all land use issues are dealt with effectively and efficiently, contact Stark & Stark’s Commercial, Retail and Industrial Real Estate Group. Attorneys are active members of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).