N.J. Admin. Code § 7:7-13.16

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 23, December 2, 2024

Section 7:7-13.16 - Boundaries for Coastal Planning Areas, CAFRA centers, CAFRA cores, and CAFRA nodes; non-mainland coastal centers

(a) The boundaries of the Planning Areas, the community development boundaries of centers, and the boundaries of cores and nodes formally approved by the State Planning Commission as of August 1, 1999, are incorporated by reference into this subchapter. These boundaries are the boundaries of the Coastal Planning Areas, CAFRA centers, CAFRA cores, and CAFRA nodes and shall be operative for the purposes of applying the requirements for impervious cover and vegetative cover under this subchapter, unless the Department, in accordance with (b) and (c) below, accepts a State Planning Commission formally approved new or changed boundary, or unless the Department, in accordance with (b) and (e) below, rejects a State Planning Commission formally approved new or changed boundary and subsequently promulgates a revised boundary.

(b) Whenever the State Planning Commission formally approves (see (h) below) any new or changed Planning Area boundary, any new or changed community development boundary, or any new or changed core or node boundary, the Department shall evaluate the new or changed boundary to determine whether it is consistent with the purposes of CAFRA and this chapter. The Department shall not reject or reject and revise a boundary unless it finds that accepting the State Planning Commission approved boundary would result in unacceptable harm to the coastal ecosystem or the resources of the built or natural environment, or would otherwise be clearly inconsistent with the purposes of CAFRA or this chapter. For those new or changed community development boundaries or new or changed core or node boundaries which are located within the Pinelands National Reserve, the Department shall also, in consultation with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, determine whether the boundaries are consistent with the intent, policies and objectives of the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, P.L. 95-625, section 502, creating the Pinelands National Reserve, and the State Pinelands Protection Act of 1979 (N.J.S.A. 13:18A-1 et seq.). Within 90 calendar days after the date on which the State Planning Commission formally approves such boundary, the Department shall publish in the New Jersey Register a notice of its determination to accept, reject, or reject and revise the boundary for the purposes of this subchapter.

(c) If the Department determines under (b) above to accept the State Planning Commission formally approved new or changed Planning Area boundary, community development boundary, or core or node boundary, the accepted new or changed boundary is incorporated by reference as the boundary of the Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, and CAFRA node, and shall be operative 30 calendar days after the date of publication of the New Jersey Register notice under (b) above. A CAFRA center boundary shall supersede the boundary for a corresponding coastal center, if any, in Appendix H. CAFRA centers are listed for informational purposes in Appendix I of this chapter. As part of the New Jersey Register notice published under (b) above, the Department shall incorporate into Appendix I by administrative change the name of each CAFRA center for which the Department has accepted the boundary. However, in order to determine the location of a site with reference to the accepted boundaries of a CAFRA center, CAFRA core, or CAFRA node for purposes of determining the applicable impervious cover limit, an applicant shall refer to the CAFRA Planning Map in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:7-13.17(b).

(d) If the Department determines under (b) above to reject the State Planning Commission formally approved new or changed Planning Area boundary, community development boundary, or core or node boundary, the boundary incorporated by reference under (a) above shall continue to be operative, except as provided under (e) below.

(e) The Department may determine under (b) above to reject the State Planning Commission formally approved new or changed Planning Area boundary, community development boundary, or core or node boundary and to establish a revised Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, or CAFRA node boundary by promulgating an amendment to this chapter in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, N.J.S.A. 52:14B-1 et seq. Until the Department promulgates such revised boundary, the Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, or CAFRA node boundary under (a) above shall continue to be operative.

(f) The CAFRA Planning Map, with all Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, and CAFRA node boundaries operative under this section for purposes of this subchapter, is available on the Department's Geographic Information System (GIS) and may be reviewed at the Department, 401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, 609-777-0672.

(g) The boundaries delineated by the Department for non-mainland coastal centers, as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:7-13.2, are described in Appendix H of this chapter.

(h) For purposes of this section, a State Planning Commission formally approved new or changed boundary is one that the State Planning Commission has amended in accordance with the New Jersey State Planning Act, N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 et seq., and the State Planning rules, N.J.A.C. 5:85.

(i) A site in the CAFRA area may include land in more than one coastal center, Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, or CAFRA node. Where this occurs, the impervious cover limits and vegetative cover percentages appropriate to the respective coastal center, Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, or CAFRA node portions of the site apply.

(j) Neither formal approval by the State Planning Commission of a new or changed boundary for a Planning Area, a new or changed community development boundary, or a new or changed core or node boundary, nor the incorporation by reference and acceptance or revision by the Department of such boundary as the Coastal Planning Area, CAFRA center, CAFRA core, or CAFRA node boundary under this section shall exempt any development from this subchapter or from any of the requirements in this chapter.

(k) Rationale: The boundaries of Planning Areas, community development boundaries of centers, and the boundaries of cores and nodes formally approved by the State Planning Commission as of August 1, 1999, were drawn after a lengthy public process that involved the participation of municipal, county, and State officials and the submittal of thousands of documents from public officials and private organizations and individuals. The Department determined that the boundaries drawn by the State Planning Commission in the CAFRA area are in keeping with the purposes of the CAFRA statute to "encourage the development of compatible land uses in order to improve the overall economic position of the inhabitants of [the CAFRA] area within the framework of a comprehensive environmental design strategy which preserves the most ecologically sensitive and fragile area from inappropriate development and provides adequate environmental safeguards for the construction of any developments in the coastal area." These State Planning Commission boundaries are, therefore, an appropriate starting point for the boundaries depicted in the CAFRA Planning Map, which are used for the purposes of determining impervious cover limits and vegetative cover percentages. However, the CAFRA Planning Map boundaries for Coastal Planning Areas, CAFRA centers, CAFRA cores, and CAFRA nodes will not necessarily always be the same as the boundaries formally approved by the State Planning Commission. The Department evaluates any new or revised boundaries approved by the State Planning Commission in order to determine if the changes are consistent with the purposes of CAFRA and this chapter. If the changes are not consistent with CAFRA and the CZM rules, the Department can choose not to incorporate the changes and may propose modifications to boundaries approved by the State Planning Commission through rulemaking, which allows public input.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:7-13.16

Renumbered from 7:7E-5B.3 by 47 N.J.R. 1392(a), effective 7/6/2015

Amended by 50 N.J.R. 361(a), effective 1/16/2018

Administrative Change, 50 N.J.R. 1147(a).

Administrative change 54 N.J.R. 430, effective 2/7/2022 (operative April 6, 2022).

Amended by 54 N.J.R. 1972(b), effective 9/19/2022

Administrative Change, 55 N.J.R. 1173(c), effective 5/11/2023