Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 41, ZONING AND LAND USE REGULATIONS, REVISED GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, 2000, AS AMENDED AND SUPPLEMENTED, BY ADDING A NEW CHAPTER 19 ENTITLED "ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS" TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THE NEWARK ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, CENTRAL PLANNING BOARD AND ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AND TO REQUIRE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FROM DEVELOPMENT APPLICANTS IN ORDER TO BUILD AN IMPROVED BASIS OF INFORMATION ON WHICH TO CREATE SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL AND LAND USE POLICY.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Newark ("the City") seeks to promote the health and welfare of those who live, work, do business, and visit within the City, and to protect the quality of the urban environment for the benefit of current and future generations; and
WHEREAS, conditions affecting the existing structures built, natural and social environments in Newark have an impact on human health and welfare, and may in some cases contribute to illness or mortality if left unaddressed; and
WHEREAS, existing environmental conditions reflect a history of industrial use that includes a number of sources of pollution such as: a dense transportation network including highways, a major seaport and airport, and rail hubs; regional infrastructure for transporting and incinerating solid waste and processing wastewater; current industrial and commercial uses with significant environmental impacts from operations and contaminated properties, all of which may have an adverse impact on human health and the environment; and
WHEREAS, patterns of racial, ethnic and economic inequality in the United States result in the geographic concentration of environmentally hazardous land uses and sources of pollution that disproportionately burden the health of low-income communities and communities of color, including communities in Newark, which outcome is known as environmental injustice, and w...
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