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S 4048

Increases the minimum wage annually; repealer

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jamaal Bailey and 26 co-sponsors

Limits large warehouses within 1,000 feet of qualifying historic districts, blocking approvals unless a planning board-waived exception is granted.

REFERRED TO LABOR
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Bill Summary · S 4048

Summary — S 4048 (as reported 2nd Reprint, 6/26/2025)

Briefly: S 4048 prohibits the approval of site plans and project-related permits for large warehouses located within 1,000 feet of certain listed historic districts, establishes definitions and a limited waiver process by the local planning board, and takes effect immediately for proposals whose construction-permit applications are not already complete.

Note: the bill text provided concerns siting of large warehouses near historic districts. (A different bill title—“Increases the minimum wage annually; repealer”—appears in the supplied metadata and appears inconsistent with the content summarized below.)

Purpose / Intent

To limit construction of large warehouse facilities in close proximity to significant historic districts (as specially defined) in order to protect the historic character and scenic corridors of those districts.

Key provisions

  • Prohibition on approvals
    • No approving authority may approve a site plan (under the Municipal Land Use Law) submitted after the bill’s enactment for construction of a "large warehouse" on any lot within 1,000 feet of a qualifying historic district.
    • State and local entities that issue other project-related permits likewise may not approve permits for such warehouse developments within 1,000 feet of a qualifying historic district, unless a waiver is granted by the applicable planning board.
  • Definitions
    • "Large warehouse": any site/building/structure of at least 100,000 square feet used primarily for storage of goods for sale or distribution.
    • "Historic district": an area listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places that (a) contains at least 100 contributing or not-assessed resources per the State Historic Preservation Office, and (b) is located along a roadway designated for inclusion in the New Jersey Scenic and Historic Highways Program. Districts designated exclusively to preserve waterways are excluded.
  • Waiver process
    • A planning board with jurisdiction over the historic district may waive the prohibitions if a developer petitions the planning board in a form and manner acceptable to the board and the board grants the waiver.
  • Exceptions
    • The prohibitions do not apply to development or redevelopment applications filed under section 13 of the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (C.40A:12A-13).
  • Effective date and applicability
    • The act takes effect immediately on enactment and applies to proposals for which a construction-permit application has not been declared complete by the enforcing agency as of the effective date.

Who is affected

  • Developers and owners proposing warehouse projects (especially logistics/distribution centers).
  • Municipal and county planning boards and permitting authorities; State and local permit-issuing agencies.
  • Communities and property owners in and around qualifying historic districts and scenic highway corridors.
  • Redevelopment projects filed under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law are generally unaffected by the prohibitions.

Legislative / procedural status (from provided record)

  • Introduced: 1/14/2025
  • Reported out of Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee with amendments: 1/30/2025
  • Referred to Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee; reported with amendments: 6/26/2025 (1st reprint/2R)
  • Current recorded referral: Referred to Labor (dates: 1/31/2025)
  • Fiscal note: bill has not been certified as requiring a fiscal note.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Preserves historic character and visual integrity of qualifying historic districts adjacent to scenic roads by restricting proximate large-scale warehousing.
  • Could shift warehouse siting to other locations, affecting local economic development, land values, and regional supply-chain planning.
  • The waiver mechanism allows case-by-case flexibility; local planning board decisions will be pivotal.
  • The narrow statutory definition of qualifying historic districts limits the scope (requires National & State listing, ≥100 contributing resources, and location along a designated scenic highway).

If you want, I can: (1) map how many New Jersey historic districts meet the bill’s criteria; (2) draft a short explainer for municipal planning boards on the waiver process; or (3) prepare talking points for stakeholders (developers or preservation groups).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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