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Redevelopment is a powerfully loaded word that can conjure up images of devastated slums and "blighted" inner cities. These images are often accompanied by visions of multiple city blocks cleared as part of the federal urban renewal programs of the 1950s and 1960s.
Historically, the use of redevelopment powers was considered appropriate only in these bleak settings. Viewed as a powerful and potentially dangerous remedy, redevelopment was an option to be used when all other efforts to promote and encourage private investment failed. This perspective assumes a need for drastic public intervention and a substantial commitment of government resources to address the serious and long-term economic and land-use planning problems of our cities.
This traditional view of redevelopment is beginning to change. No longer the remedy of last resort, redevelopment is viewed as an effective planning process that can be used to address a variety of land use issues in a variety of different settings (urban, suburban, rural). Using this tool, a municipality can control the development process within a designated redevelopment area to much greater degree than it can with other planning or zoning techniques. The redevelopment process enables a community to achieve its vision for the future and not settle with the status quo.
Recent revisions to New Jersey's local redevelopment laws, as well as the adoption of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan (State Plan) have made the redevelopment process relevant to all New Jersey's communities. As a result, problems that can be addressed through redevelopment are no longer limited to traditional concepts of "blight" or urban decay. Rather, the redevelopment process is now increasingly recognized as a powerful and effective strategy that municipalities may use to implement the goals and objectives within their local master plans.
In 1992, the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL) was enacted. The LRHL consolidated and updated many of New Jersey's prior redevelopment statutes, including the Blighted Areas Act and the Redevelopment Agencies Law. It also redefined blighted areas as areas in need of redevelopment. With these changes, New Jersey's redevelopment law now provides municipalities throughout the state with the authority and flexibility to effectively revitalize their residential neighborhoods and commercial areas. Further, these powers can now be effectively utilized in the state's suburban and rural communities as well as its urban centers.