EAST ORANGE . . . In spite of the current economic woes facing the country, the City of East Orange has maintained a steady pace rebuilding and redeveloping the City’s communities.  To assist in these efforts, the City’s new Zoning Officer Troy Webster, has been named the City’s Ombudsman. With this new position, he will be empowered to provide personal attention to prospective developers, small business owners, and small and large contractors as necessary. Reporting directly to the City Administrator, Mr. Webster has full authority to act on behalf of the Bowser Administration in addressing the wide array of needs from the contractor and redeveloper community.

 The four major forms of technical assistance he will be providing includes:  

1. Permits: construction, engineering. Particular attention would be given to design changes and construction modifications – a frequent source of confusion (e.g., additional amenities)
2. Issuance of C of Os: Once all conditions have been met for approvals, assistance in securing either a Temporary C of O (TCO) or C of O.
3. Redevelopment areas: initial point of contact for those expressing interest in one of the designated zones.
4. Abatement requests: initial point of contact for those expressing interest in short and long-term tax incentives.

 In addition, the City has instituted a policy/procedural change in processing permit applications. Currently, processed permits can only be picked up between the hours of 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Mon – Thursday. Applications are now processed as follows; Mon – Thursday; 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon.