Author Archive | James J. Delia

During this decade, there has been a trend to legalize the sale and use of marijuana and other cannabis products Nationwide. A total of twenty-nine States, plus the District of Columbia, have some form of legalization either for outright recreational use or for medical purposes. New Jersey is among the States allowing the sale and […]

Excessive noise can be a health hazard. It can affect your sleep, interfere with your concentration and raise your blood pressure. This has long been recognized by the New Jersey legislature. The New Jersey Noise Control Act of 1971 was enacted to protect us from excessive noise generated mostly by commercial, industrial, public service or […]

Once in a while, not often, we do like to brag. As many of you are likely aware, one of theFirm’sspecialtiesisinthefieldofLand Use. We spend a lot of late nights out before Land Use boards in the region assisting our clients in their efforts to develop projects from the ground up or to expand and upgrade […]

New Jersey Supreme Court, in the well known Mount Laurel decisions of 1975 and 1983, ruled that each municipality must provide a realistic opportunity to provide its fair share of affordable housing. As a result of the Mount Laurel II decision, the Court put each municipality’s “feet to the fire” by mandating the legislature to […]

With all of the bad economic news we have faced in recent years, one glimmer of hope remains: The lowest mortgage rates in our lifetime. A 30 year fixed rate mortgage is attainable for under 5%. With such low rates, there has been an increase in refinances. According to the Mortgage Banker’s Association, a national […]

A visit to Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest country, will cause sensory overload: the blistering heat; the sight of colorfully decorated buses called “tap-taps”; the peddlers walking along the sides of the streets carrying wares on their heads, or stationed along the road with candles glowing in the dark (there were no streetlights); the smell […]

You have just sold an investment property which you have had for many years making a huge profit. That is the good news. The not so great news is you will be giving a significant percentage back to Uncle Sam in the form of a capital gains tax. Back to the good news. You can […]

After saving for years, you go to build your dream home. You spend hours with your designers, shop for your contractor and choose your materials. You finally file for your zoning and building permits, get your approvals and build! Construction begins. Things appear to be moving along nicely, and then the project comes to a […]

The purchase of a home is one of the most important investments a person can make. Good planning and preparation is necessary. The hardest work is done up front. When issues are resolved at the beginning of the negotiating process, a “smooth closing” is sure to follow. (As lawyers, we much prefer a “friendly closing” […]

In 1998, the New Jersey Legislature passed into law the “Brownfields and Contaminated Site Remediation Act.” The Legislature determined that due to New Jersey’s industrial history, large areas in the State’s urban and suburban areas formerly used for commercial and industrial purposes are at present either under used or abandoned; possibly contaminated with hazardous substances […]