Prior to his appointment as Executive Director of the Office of Smart Growth, Ben Spinelli served as Chief Counsel and Director of Policy for the office. A resident of Chester Township in Morris County, he served as Mayor of the Township from 1998 to 2007. Spinelli graduated from Muhlenberg College with a degree in history and political science and from Seton Hall University School of Law. While Ben was mayor, Chester Township preserved over 2,000 acres through a combination of farmland preservation and open space acquisition. The township partnered with private landowners, state and county government and non-profit organizations to use innovative planning and funding methods to preserve land as part of a comprehensive planning strategy for Chester. He directed a comprehensive update of the Township Master Plan and the supporting ordinances necessary for establishing a sustainable resource based approach for planning his community’s future. Ben was an original member of the Highlands Council. He was a founder and President of the Raritan-Highlands Compact, a regional inter-municipal planning group. He served as chairman of the Morris County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust, President of the Morris County League of Municipalities, a member of the Chester Township Planning Board and Chairman of the Chester Township Environmental Commission. A senior fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program, he was a member of the fellowship class of 2005-06. Prior to coming to the Office of Smart Growth he was a practicing attorney for 20 years working for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, for a private law firm and for the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies during the course of his career.

New Jersey is an incredibly diverse place to live and work. The nation’s most densely populated state is also home to a wide array of natural resources. New Jersey is a state known for its beautiful beaches, abundant farmland, dynamic cities and rich history. However, unpredictable development patterns have led to uncontrolled growth and eroded the very quality of life that drew generations of people to New Jersey. It is the mission of the Office of Smart Growth to plan a sustainable and prosperous future for the state. We are working to develop policies and a plan that will help ensure that New Jersey will continue to be a great place to live, work and play for future generations.

The Office of Smart Growth has been working over the past year with local and county governments, interested stakeholders and members of the public to complete the Cross-Acceptance process as part of the mission of the Office to update the State Plan. The input received during the Cross-Acceptance process, as well as contributions from various state agencies and departments, will be incorporated into an updated version of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. The next version of the State Plan will contain statewide goals and policies as well as subject-related elements. The plan will be similar in structure to local master plans and will also contain suggestions for implementation strategies at the local and state level. The ultimate goal of this collaborative process is to adopt a State Plan that will be a reliable, easy-to-understand useful guidance tool for local planners and officials as well as for the state’s agencies and departments.

In addition to its role in crafting the State Plan, this Office serves as an agent for coordinating state agency policies and programs with the goals and policies set forth in that plan, and as an advocate for programs that promote the plan’s objectives. We work with other state agencies to ensure that our policies and practices are consistent with each other and with the principles of Smart Growth. We also work with local governments and developers to provide technical assistance for both long-range planning and specific project implementation to produce results that are consistent with Smart Growth principles.

Our state faces many challenges. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. It consistently ranks among the top states for per capita income, housing costs and property tax costs. New Jersey is also home to significant important natural resources that both sustain the population and enhance the state’s quality of life. All of these factors combine to place a great deal of strain on the state’s infrastructure, economy and natural systems. Devising a strategy that balances providing for the needs of New Jersey’s residents, encourages economic growth and protects the state’s resources for the long term is a daunting task, however it is a task that we must succeed in accomplishing.

The Office of Smart Growth is among the nation’s leaders in formulating policies and methods to address the problems and challenges created by sprawling development. We are working with municipalities to cluster growth and preserve land through the transfer of development rights. We are encouraging mixed-use development in town centers and preserving open space outside of growth areas. We are working with our partners at other state agencies to preserve the agricultural industry in the state, protect precious resources, create opportunities for transit oriented development, revitalize the state’s urban centers, locate new schools or offices in walkable communities and redevelop brownfield sites. All of these efforts are part of a comprehensive strategy to build a livable sustainable future for New Jersey.

At the Office of Smart Growth, it is our goal to make sure we have a strong foundation in the State Plan to support the land use challenges we are facing in the years ahead. We encourage your feedback on land use planning at the state and local level, and look forward to working with you on making New Jersey an even better place in which to live.