Fourth Annual Redevelopment Conference Emphasizing Tools for Success
Valuing Contaminated Property in Condemnation - the Supreme Court Speaks
Firm News
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Fourth Annual Redevelopment Conference - (Summer 2003) The firm held its annual conference on redevelopment in New Jersey, "Tools for Success" on July 18, 2003 at the Newark Airport Marriot. Presentation topics included, the impact of the Big Map and Smart Growth Initiatives on redevelopment, and an analysis of the recent Appellate Division decision in Housing Authority of the City of New Brunswick v. Suydam Investors, LLC 355 N.J.Super. 530 (App. Div. 2002).
(Spring 2003) On March 20, 2003, the firm sponsored a breakfast roundtable on Appraising Contaminated Properties at the Short Hills Hilton. Approximately 50 lawyers, appraisers, environmental consultants and municipal officials discussed the implications of the Appellate Division decision in Housing Authority of the City of New Brunswick v. Suydam Investors, LLC. For more information on condemnation and the implications of Suydam,
click here.
(Spring 2003) Joseph Maraziti was recently elected to the Board of the Regional Planning Association. The Association, formed in the 1920s, is a planning think tank for the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan area. Joe also serves as a member of the New Jersey Committee.
(Spring 2003) Leah Healey (far right) spoke about the redevelopment area designation process at NAIOP's Redevelopment Tool Workshop held at the Newark Club on April 9. She was a member of the expert panel which included (from left) Peter Cocoziello, Advance Realty Group; Ann Waeger, Farer Fersko; Evan Van Hook, Assistant Commissioner, DEP; and Mike Sylvester, Program Manager, NJEDA.
Christopher Falcon (Spring 2003) spoke on a panel sponsored by the New Jersey Planning Officials on March 1, 2003 entitled "Smart Growth, Sprawl & Municipalities".
Albert Telsey (Spring 2003) has been speaking to local bar associations, Realtor groups and title insurance companies about the Private Well Testing Act. This new law requires that homeowners test their wells for contamination before they can sell the property. The information must go to DEP. Surprisingly, water tests has failed 75% of the time. The new law does not require that anything be done about the problem because it was designed only to provide DEP with groundwater data in suburban areas of the state where data was scarce. However, other laws already on the books do require that corrective action be taken. It is expected that this new law will throw a monkey wrench into many real estate closings once thought to be simple.
Albert Telsey (Spring 2003) is scheduled to speak at Rutgers University, Cook College on May 21, 2003 on the topic "Environmental Consultants as Expert Witnesses in Litigation." The seminar is directed to the consulting community. It will address how a consultant can become an expert witness and how the consultant should handle him/herself during depositions and at trial.
Albert Telsey (Spring 2003), author of the Delaware Environmental Handbook, recently spoke before the Delaware Environmental Law Task Force which was charged by the Governor to examine ways to beef up Delaware's environmental laws in the wake of a disaster at a chemical facility near Wilmington. The facility was sold to an outfit that had little ability to manage pre-existing environmental liabilities and then went bankrupt, abandoning the site and a $90 million cleanup to the state. Mr. Telsey suggested that Delaware adopt a property transfer law similar to New Jersey's Industrial Site Recovery Act or Connecticut's Property Transfer statute since such a law might have prevented this disaster. It appears Delaware is likely to follow through with Mr. Telsey's suggestion.
