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Senate committee releases bill limiting warehouses within 1,000 feet of historic districts, allows planning-board waivers
Summary
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee released S-4048, which would bar most warehouses within 1,000 feet of listed historic sites but allows planning boards to grant waivers; supporters said the measure protects historic districts, while business groups called the restriction too blunt and urged further work.
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on Tuesday released S-4048, a bill that would prohibit counties from approving construction of certain large warehouses on land located within 1,000 feet of a historic district while allowing local planning boards to waive that restriction.
Supporters said the measure responds to cases where large logistics facilities would be sited adjacent to historic neighborhoods and could increase heavy truck traffic, vibration and stormwater impacts. Thomas Fritz, mayor of the Borough of Allentown, told the committee the Stein property proposal — two warehouses he compared to “four Home Depots” — sits within 1,000 feet of Allentown’s historic district and would worsen truck traffic, flood risk and harm historic structures. Fritz said, "I strongly urge the committee to pass this bill."
The bill’s sponsor and committee chair framed S-4048 as implementing guidance from the New Jersey State Planning Commission’s 2022 warehouse-siting recommendations and said the planning-board waiver in the amendments creates a path for contextual, site-specific decisions. Proponents argued the measure is narrowly tailored to protect historic districts and farmland near sensitive resources.
Business groups opposed the measure in its current form. Ray Canter of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association argued a fixed 1,000-foot ban is “too simplistic” and said many factors — road access, proximity to highways and parcel configuration — matter when siting logistics facilities. Canter suggested the state and municipalities should pursue targeted mapping, designated warehouse zones and additional planning resources instead of a statutory distance rule.
Committee members pressed both sides on details. One senator asked whether the bill’s 1,000-foot measurement could pull in neighboring municipalities and thereby require a planning board in a different town to waive the restriction. Committee discussion also raised the statutory definition of “large warehouse” and whether retail distribution centers such as big-box stores would be captured; supporters said the bill uses the existing statutory definition of large warehouse. The amendments add a waiver procedure so a planning board can grant relief "in a form and manner determined by the planning board."
The committee voted to amend and release the bill; the record shows one abstention and one no vote with three affirmative votes. Members said further conversations with sponsors and stakeholders will continue as the bill moves forward.
The committee adjourned after approving S-4048.
