The State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) proposes to engage in a land exchange with the New Egypt Raceway (“Raceway”), located in Plumsted Township, Ocean County. As part of the exchange, the NJDEP proposes to convey 4.54 acres of land to the Raceway in exchange for receiving 21.58 acres of land from the Raceway.

The land proposed to be conveyed by the NJDEP to the Raceway is part of Block 76, Lot 82.03 in Plumsted Township, Ocean County. The land is currently managed as part of the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area (WMA), but consists of cleared areas of lawn covered with gravel. The land proposed to be conveyed to NJDEP by the Raceway is designated for tax purposes as Block 76 Lot 82.02 (p/o), Block 76 Lot 85, and Block 76 Lot 95 in Plumsted Township, Ocean County. Both Block 76, Lot 85 and Block 76, Lot 95 are wooded, contain extensive wetlands and are adjacent to other lands owned by the NJDEP as part of the Colliers Mills WMA. The Raceway will also pay the NJDEP $43,000 cash compensation to equalize the real estate value of the proposed exchange.

Additional information about the proposed land exchange may be found here.

Various concession opportunities are now available in the New Jersey State Park System.

For a listing of current opportunities, please click here:  https://njdepwptest.net/otpla/public-notices/#PLA-concessions

The Department is seeking proposals for mobile food vending services at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, Hudson County.

More information about the opportunity can be found here.

Applications will be accepted until noon on April 2, 2025.

Throughout New Jersey, many municipal water systems are grappling with the need to install treatment facilities for their drinking water wells to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or other drinking water contaminants for which the Department has established maximum contaminant levels under the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act, N.J.S.A. 58:12A-1 et seq.

In many locations, municipal drinking water wells are located on municipally-owned land that is subject to restriction as Green Acres encumbered parkland.  In these locations, while operation of a preexisting well is not a violation of the Green Acres restrictions on the parkland, the installation of treatment equipment, facilities or other improvements to treat the drinking water from the well is not consistent with the Green Acres restrictions (which limit the use of the surrounding land to recreation and conservation purposes).  Under the current Green Acres rules at N.J.A.C. 7:36, construction of such treatment equipment, facilities and improvements constitutes a diversion of parkland.

Given the pressing need to address the public health concerns posed by PFAS and other drinking water contaminants as quickly as possible, on July 20, 2023, Governor Murphy signed legislation creating a process by which municipalities may apply for an exemption from the Green Acres diversion process for certain treatment equipment, facilities and/or improvements proposed to be installed on Green Acres encumbered parkland to serve a pre-existing drinking water well.  The legislation is codified at N.J.S.A. 13:8C-53a and may be found here.

OTPLA has now launched a form for requesting an exemption under N.J.S.A. 13:8C-53a.  The form may be found here:  https://njdepwptest.net/otpla/public-land-compliance/water-treatment-facility-diversion-exemption-requests/.

Last modified on March 12th, 2025 at 10:43 am

Starting in late November 2022, the State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Transactions and Public Land Administration (OTPLA) conducted a series of stakeholder meetings to obtain public input on Subchapters 25 and 26 of the Green Acres Program rules, N.J.A.C. 7:36.  The Green Acres Program rules may be found at:  https://njdepwptest.net/wp-content/uploads/greenacres/pdf/njac7_36.pdf 

Subchapters 25 and 26 govern the maintenance of Green Acres encumbered parkland and other post-funding responsibilities, including the diversion and disposal application processes. The Green Acres rules are not set to expire until December 2025. However, since the Department has not made substantial changes to the rules since 2005, we plan to update the rules before they expire. As part of this update, we will be moving these two subchapters (25 and 26) into a new chapter specific to OTPLA.

Video recordings of the meetings, and additional information about topics that may be addressed in the rulemaking, may be found at: https://njdepwptest.net/otpla/category/plc-public-notices/rulemaking-notices/

If you wish to comment on these subchapters, or have any questions about this rulemaking initiative, please send an email to us at otpla@dep.nj.gov and include the word “Rulemaking” in the subject line.

About us 

The Office of Transactions and Public Land Administration (OTPLA) combines the transactional support focus of the Department’s Legal, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs (LRLA) group with the critical land management and compliance functions of the former Green Acres Bureau of Legal Services and Stewardship, the former Office of Leases and Concessions and the former Green Acres real estate closing team.  

Three sections of OTPLA 

• Public Land Administration [former NHR Office of Leases and Concessions], managed by Adria Wentzel 
• Public Land Compliance [former Green Acres Bureau of Legal Services and Stewardship], managed by Nancy Lawrence 
• Legal and Transactional Operations [former Green Acres closing team], managed by Lauren Procida, Esq. 

Goals of OTPLA 

• Improve LRLA’s support of the Department’s contracting needs
• Manage the State acquisition closing process 
• Implement a consistent approach to the appropriate uses of State and local Green Acres-encumbered parkland 
• Develop new and updated policies, protocols for public lands under the Department’s ownership or jurisdiction 
• Standardize review and approval of conveyances, leases, licenses, easements and conservation restrictions, management agreements, requests for proposals and other land management documents 
• Develop conservation restriction release guidelines  
• Support key land management initiatives  

OTPLA is led by Director Robert S. Guzek, Jr. Esq. and assisted by Assistant Director Judeth Yeany and Policy Advisor Marlen Dooley. 

Contact us
OTPLA@dep.nj.gov