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Zoning Bulletin May 10, 2010 1 Volume 41 No. 9 `} Source: The Daily Campus; www.dailvcampus.com MISSISSIPPI State Senator Billy Hudson plans to introduce legislation that would require "fencing and signage to be posted on and around all oil and gas storage tanks." The proposed legislation comes in the wake of the death of two Forrest County teens after an oil well near one of their homes exploded. Source: Hattiesburg American; www.battiesburgamerican.com NEW JERSEY Both the state Assembly and' Senate have approved the "time of application" bill, which would allow developers "to. lock in the local zoning on their properties" upon filing. of a formal development ap- plication. Under current law, "towns may change the zoning on a piece Of property, even if it is the subject of a development proposal, right up until the builder gets a preliminary site -plan approval for the proj- ect from the town." Environmental groups have joined municipalities, urging Governor Chris Christie to veto the bill. Those opponents argue that the bill will.result in: the loss of local control; and abuse by devel- opers who would file "specious building proposals and sit[] on them for years." The bill is supported by the New Jersey Builders Associa- tion. The bill awaits signature or veto from Governor Christie. Source: The Star -Ledger; www.ni.com Newark is considering making changes to its downtown zoning reg- ulations as part of a way to spur redevelopment in that area of the city. In early discussions, suggested potential changes included: condensing the relevant section of the zoning regulations "to make it easier to read for developers"; and eliminating some currently permitted uses and making other uses conditional. Long-term suggested changes include considering "the possibility of using a form -based code downtown, which would zone specific buildings based on the street each building faced." Source: The Newark Advocate; www.newarkadvocate.com NEW YORK Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D -125th Dist.) recently introduced legislation "that clarifies the role of municipalities in governing oil, gas, j and solution mining development within their jurisdiction." Under the bill, municipalities could "enact or enforce local laws of general appli- cability if the local laws do not directly regulate the oil, gas, and solu- tion mining industries regulated by state statute." © 2010 Thomson Reuters 11 53