Development's Wheels Greased

"Three days after legislators approved a landmark plan to preserve 400,000 acres near many sources of drinking water in North Jersey, lawmakers have unveiled the other part of that deal: a proposal that would significantly speed development on more than a third of the state's vacant land."

"The new initiative, which was introduced and adopted by committees in the Senate and General Assembly on Monday, would streamline the building-permit process in much of the state by granting developers automatic approval of zoning or environmental applications that are still undecided after 45 days."