NJ-NAIOP hosts symposium. (Transcripts).

The New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties hosted its annual Public Policy Symposium in March for more than 200 organization members. Governor James E. McGreevey served as keynote speaker for the event, which also featured a legislative panel discussion and a cabinet member panel discussion. Some of the key issues addressed were land use, brownfields, urban redevelopment, smart growth, site remediation, infrastructure-needs, and the impact of the economy on the growing budget deficit.

"NJ-NAIOP is here to stimulate public and private partnerships and growth initiatives for New Jersey," noted Thomas Michnewicz, president of NJ-NAIOP. "The Public Policy Agenda, which was first published in 1998, was designed to assist legislative leaders and help them understand the goals and agenda of the commercial real estate industry." The newly released 2002-2003 agenda has three new areas of focus including port expansion, local permitting and approval process, and energy efficiencies and supplies.

McGreevey outlined his initiatives for his administration as it pertains to the real estate development community. "My focus is on encouraging redevelopment, not only in urban centers, but in other underutilized areas with access to good transportation infrastructure," the governor noted.

In addition, McGreevey said a primary goal of his administration is to form a government which is "simple, effective and responsive." He is looking to consolidate agency structure within the government and provide financial incentives for private developers to partner with the government.