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Developers’ plans to build mega warehouses and logistics facilities—new or via adaptive reuse—are meeting hefty opposition, including civil lawsuits, from residents and municipalities. The objections typically center on potential traffic snarls, road deterioration, and health and environmental concerns.
A Policy With Regional Reach
A state planning agency in New Jersey has taken a regional approach to overseeing warehouse development. The New Jersey Highlands Council released a policy document prohibiting warehouses within a region that’s more than 1,250 square miles, according to CoStar. The limits apply to designated preservation areas plus protection and conservation zones, CoStar’s Linda Moss reports. The council also released new requirements for warehouses it’s permitting in parts of the region.
No Go for Adaptive Reuse
Although standoffs are prevalent in New Jersey and California, they’re also occurring elsewhere. In suburban Chicago, Bridge Industrial withdrew its proposal to redevelop Baxter International’s campus into an industrial park, says The Real Deal. Bridge had wanted the village of Deerfield to annex the campus, planning to tear down the buildings and construct a 1.1-million-square-foot logistics hub and sports center, wrote Miranda Davis. After local leaders and residents failed to support the project, Bridge decided to drop the plan, including the purchase of the 101-acre campus.