13:20-11 Contents of regional master plan.

11. a. The regional master plan shall include, but need not necessarily be limited to:

(1) A resource assessment which:

(a) determines the amount and type of human development and activity which the ecosystem of the Highlands Region can sustain while still maintaining the overall ecological values thereof, with special reference to surface and ground water quality and supply; contiguous forests and woodlands; endangered and threatened animals, plants, and biotic communities; ecological factors relating to the protection and enhancement of agricultural or horticultural production or activity; air quality; and other appropriate considerations affecting the ecological integrity of the Highlands Region; and

(b) includes an assessment of scenic, aesthetic, cultural, historic, open space, farmland, and outdoor recreation resources of the region, together with a determination of overall policies required to maintain and enhance such resources;

(2) A financial component, together with a cash flow timetable which:

(a) details the cost of implementing the regional master plan, including, but not limited to, property tax stabilization measures, watershed moratorium offset aid, planning grants and other State aid for local government units, capital requirements for any development transfer bank, payments in lieu-of-taxes, acquisition, within five years and within 10 years after the date of enactment of this act, of fee simple or other interests in lands for preservation or recreation and conservation purposes, compensation guarantees, general administrative costs, and any anticipated extraordinary or continuing costs; and

(b) details the sources of revenue for covering such costs, including, but not limited to, grants, donations, and loans from local, State, and federal departments, agencies, and other governmental entities, and from the private sector;

(3) A component to provide for the maximum feasible local government and public input into the council's operations, which shall include a framework for developing policies for the planning area in conjunction with those local government units in the planning area who choose to conform to the regional master plan;

(4) A coordination and consistency component which details the ways in which local, State, and federal programs and policies may best be coordinated to promote the goals, purposes, policies, and provisions of the regional master plan, and which details how land, water, and structures managed by governmental or nongovernmental entities in the public interest within the Highlands Region may be integrated into the regional master plan;

(5) A transportation component that provides a plan for transportation system preservation, includes all federally mandated projects or programs, and recognizes smart growth strategies and principles. The transportation component shall include projects to promote a sound, balanced transportation system that is consistent with smart growth strategies and principles and which preserves mobility and maintains the transportation infrastructure of the Highlands Region. Transportation projects and programs shall be reviewed and approved by the council in consultation with the Department of Transportation prior to inclusion in the transportation component; and

(6) A smart growth component that includes an assessment, based upon the resource assessment prepared pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of this section, of opportunities for appropriate development, redevelopment, and economic growth, and a transfer of development rights program which shall include consideration of public investment priorities, infrastructure investments, economic development, revitalization, housing, transportation, energy resources, waste management, recycling, brownfields, and design such as mixed-use, compact design, and transit villages. In preparing this component, the council shall:

(a) prepare a land use capability map;

(b) identify existing developed areas capable of sustaining redevelopment activities and investment;

(c) identify undeveloped areas in the planning area, which are not significantly constrained by environmental limitations such as steep slopes, wetlands, or dense forests, are not prime agricultural areas, and are located near or adjacent to existing development and infrastructure, that could be developed;

(d) identify transportation, water, wastewater, and power infrastructure that would support or limit development and redevelopment in the planning area. This analysis shall also provide proposed densities for development, redevelopment, or voluntary receiving zones for the transfer of development rights;

(e) identify potential voluntary receiving zones in the planning area for the transfer of development rights through the appropriate expansion of infrastructure or the modified uses of existing infrastructure;

(f) issue model minimum standards for municipal and county master planning and development regulations outside of the preservation area, including density standards for center-based development to encourage, where appropriate, the adoption of such standards;

(g) identify special critical environmental areas and other critical natural resource lands where development should be limited; and

(h) identify areas appropriate for redevelopment and set appropriate density standards for redevelopment. Any area identified for possible redevelopment pursuant to this subparagraph shall be either a brownfield site designated by the Department of Environmental Protection or a site at which at least 70% of the area thereof is covered with impervious surface.

b. The resource assessment, transportation component, and smart growth component prepared pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be used only for advisory purposes in the planning area and shall have no binding or regulatory effect therein.

L.2004,c.120,s.11.