Pinelands Commission Blocks Manchester Zoning Change as Council Repeals Townhouse Ban

Manchester, NJ — A disputed zoning change affecting development in the Pinelands region of Manchester Township has been scrapped after state regulators refused to approve it, forcing local officials to reverse course and reopen questions about what can be built in the area. Township Council voted to repeal Ordinance 2024-40, a measure that aimed to eliminate townhouse development in a designated Pinelands/light industrial overlay zone. The move follows the Pinelands Commission’s decision not to certify the ordinance, rendering it unenforceable under state law. The repeal, formalized through Ordinance 26-9, resets zoning rules in the contested area—at least for now—while officials weigh next steps. State oversight halts local zoning change The core issue is jurisdiction. Because the affected land falls within the Pinelands, any zoning changes must be reviewed and certified by the Pinelands Commission. Without that approval, local ordinances cannot take effect. In this case, the commission declined to certify Manchester’s changes, effectively nullifying the township’s attempt to restrict townhouse construction. That left local officials with limited options: either revise the ordinance to meet state standards or repeal it entirely. They chose repeal. Confusion over what the ordinance actually allowed Complicating matters, township officials acknowledged the original ordinance may have