DEP Regulatory Role In Land Use Permits And Site Remediation Approvals
Did Norcross Associates Get Sweetheart Deals Or Special Treatment?
Source: NJ AG Norcross indictment – map of properties involved
Piñata Part 1
I’m just now reading NJ Attorney General Platkin’s June 13, 2024 Indictment of south Jersey political boss George Norcross et al (including the former Mayor of Camden).
I noted that some of the Camden Waterfront development projects mentioned in the Indictment involve a regulatory role by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in issuing various Land Use permits, Site Remediation, and other water related approvals.
Based on my first hand experience at DEP, where I’ve witnessed political pressures on DEP for favorable treatment in issuing various regulatory approvals, I thought it important to understand DEP’s role in this scandal.
So, I just submitted the following Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to DEP.
I may do this for other projects or parcels in the indictment. Maybe intrepid investigative reporters out there can use this as a model and submit their own OPRA requests. It should be interesting:
“According to the NJ Attorney General’s 6/13/24 indictment of George Norcross et al: (hereafter notes are mine):
“In 2002, Dranoff properties (hereafter DPI) began the process of renovating and remediating the Victor Lofts on the Camden Waterfront (hereafter “subject development”). The renovation was completed in 2003.”
Based on those facts, I request the following public documents for the period 2001 – 2004:
1) Communications between DPI and NJ DEP, the NJ DEP Commissioner, the NJ DEP Assistant Commissioners for Land Use and Site Remediation, and DEP staff in Land Use and Site Remediation, including letters, emails, meeting records (agendas, meeting notes, participants, sign in sheets, etc), phone call logs, land use and site remediation permit pre-application meetings, and document transmittal letters (e.g. cover letters for permit applications, remediation documents, or other project coordination documents).
2) Land Use permit applications submitted by DPI on the subject development and DEP permit administrative completeness, technical deficiency and technical completeness letters, and DEP permit approval letters for the subject development.
3) Site remediation documents submitted by DPI on the subject development and DEP technical review and approval letters for the subject development.
4) DEP site inspection documents for the subject development site.
5) DEP enforcement documents issued to DPI for the subject site and to prior owners of the subject site.
We’ll keep you posted on what we find out.