The Highlands Council voted 10-4 on Monday evening to authorize the release of the revised Highlands Master Plan for public comment, according to a story in the November 21 Courier News.

Once the plan is available to the public, there will be a 90-day public comment period with three public hearings.

Council Executive Director Eileen Swan said the current version has about a dozen differences from the previous plan. Among those are more zones on the map, a process by which municipalities can make changes to the map and the mapping of nearly 150,000 acres considered appropriate to receive high density growth transferred from what’s designated the preservation area.

An Express Times article characterized the authorization vote as made by a “sharply-divided council” and ”over the objections of environmentalists” and stated that:

The proposal is a second draft of one unveiled by the council a year ago, an effort that has been vexing in its complexity. Supporters consider this plan better organized. It takes into account factors that were not included last year, including transportation networks and underground rock formations.

It also puts building limitations on lake communities and sets out a process for towns to appeal to the council for zoning changes.

Most of the amendments rejected Monday night came from the board’s two strongest environmental voices, who criticized parts of the plan that would allow municipalities within the Highlands to seek zoning changes and allow clustered development on environmentally constrained farmland.

The final draft is now available at: http://www.highlands.state.nj.us/njhighlands/master/rmp_table_contents.html