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Pinelands CMP amendments take effect; Black Run Headwaters redesignated as forest and $3 million pledge made
Summary
New CMP amendments took effect Jan. 5, including fee changes and land‑use tracking requirements; staff said the amendments include redesignation of Black Run Headwaters to forest area, and the commission pledged $3,000,000 toward acquisition and stewardship, which public commenters welcomed.
The Pinelands Commission confirmed Jan. 9 that amendments to the Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) have been published and took effect on Jan. 5. Staff said the changes include increased fees for certain letters of interpretation and application types, expiration dates for variable waivers and certificates, and other procedural changes requiring new documents, tracking, and mapping updates.
A central substantive change staff highlighted was the redesignation of the Black Run Headwaters area from a rural designation to forest area; staff noted the new land‑capability map reflects that redesignation and that affected townships must adopt corresponding changes to local zoning and ordinances to implement the mapping change.
Public commenters praised the redesignation and thanked the commission for committing funding toward land protection. John Volga, speaking as a private citizen and representing local conservation interests, thanked the commission and said the redesignation was “a very good way to start the new year.” He noted four local nonprofits have started fundraising discussions and thanked the commission for pledging $3,000,000 toward acquisition and stewardship of the Black Run area.
Why it matters: redesignation to forest area changes the regulatory framework for future development and conservation, and the commission’s pledge signals a funding commitment to acquire and steward the headwaters property.
What’s next: staff said townships with mapping changes must complete implementation steps (zoning/ordinance updates); the commission will continue technical and outreach work to support implementation of the CMP amendments.
Ending: commissioners closed the public portion of the meeting and moved to executive session to discuss litigation and attorney‑client matters; no formal votes on CMP implementation steps were taken at the Jan. 9 meeting.
