9. a. During the preparation of the regional master plan or any revision thereof, the council shall consult with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Community Affairs, the State Planning Commission, the Department of Agriculture, the State Agriculture Development Committee, the Department of Transportation, and appropriate officials of local government units and State, regional, and federal departments, agencies and other governmental entities with jurisdiction over lands, waters, and natural resources within the Highlands Region, with interested professional, scientific, and citizen organizations, and with any advisory groups that may be established by the council. The council shall also consult with the Department of Transportation in preparing the transportation component of the regional master plan. The council shall review all relevant federal, State, and private studies of the Highlands Region, the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, municipal, county, and regional plans, applicable federal and State laws and rules and regulations, and other pertinent information on the Highlands Region.

b. Prior to adoption of, and in preparing, the regional master plan, the council may, in conjunction with municipalities in the preservation area, identify areas in which redevelopment shall be encouraged in order to promote the economic well-being of the municipality, provided that the redevelopment conforms with the goals of the preservation area and this act , with the standards prescribed pursuant to section 32 of this act, and with the rules and regulations adopted by the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to sections 33 and 34 of this act. Any areas identified for possible redevelopment pursuant to this subsection shall be either a brownfield site designated by the Department of Environmental Protection or a site at which at least 70% of the area thereof is covered with impervious surface.

c. In preparing and implementing the regional master plan or any revision thereto, the council shall ensure that the goals, purposes, policies, and provisions of, and the protections afforded to farmers by, the “Right to Farm Act,” P.L.1983, c.31 (C. 4:1C-1 et seq.), and any rules or regulations adopted pursuant thereto, are recognized and not compromised in any manner.

d. Upon adoption of the regional master plan or any revision thereof, copies thereof shall be transmitted to the Governor, the Legislature, the governing body of every municipality and county located in the Highlands Region, and the State Planning Commission.

L.2004,c.120,s.9.