OVERVIEW
The Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) was enacted by the New Jersey State Legislature in 1983 to revitalize the State's most distressed urban communities through the creation of private-sector jobs and public and private investment in targeted areas within these communities. The first ten UEZs were designated in 1984. They are: Bridgeton, Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Kearny, Newark, Orange, Plainfield, Trenton, and Millville/Vineland (joint zone). In 1994, the legislation was amended and ten more zones were added. They are: Carteret, Lakewood, Mount Holly, Passaic, Paterson, Perth Amboy, Phillipsburg, Pleasantville, Union City, and Asbury Park/Long Branch (joint zone). The legislation was amended again in 1996 to include zones in East Orange, Guttenberg, Hillside, Irvington, North Bergen, Pemberton, and West New York. Legislation signed in 2002 authorized the creation of three new UEZs in Bayonne, Roselle, and the joint zones of Wildwood/North Wildwood/Wildwood Crest/West Wildwood; the creation of Impacted Business Districts; and extended the life of the existing UEZs.

INCENTIVES
-Qualified retail businesses may charge 50% of the mandated 6% NJ sales tax on certain "in person" purchases
-Revenue generated from the 3% sales tax are maintained in a Zone Assistance Fund (ZAF) and are dedicated to use within the zone for certain economic development and/or public service improvement projects.
-100% sales tax exemption for purchase of certain materials and tangible personal property.
-One-time corporation tax credit of $1,500 for each new, full-time permanent employee who is a resident of a municipality in which a zone is located and had been unemployed for at least 90 days or dependent upon public assistance.
-Subsidized unemployment insurance costs for certain new employees with gross salaries of less than $4,500 per quarter as per Department of Labor schedule.
-Tax credit against Corporation Business Tax of 8% of Investment in the zone by an approved "In Lieu" agreement with the UEZ Authority and Municipality.
-Priority financial assistance from the NJ Local Development Financing Fund (LDFF) and Department of Labor Job Training Program.

HIGHLIGHTS OF ZONE ACTIVITY
Actual Job Creation since 1985: 104,538 full-time jobs
Qualified businesses currently participating in the program: 7,370
Private Investment by UEZ businesses since 1985: $16.4 billion
ZAF revenue collected since 1985: $572 million
ZAF projects and total dollars approved since 1985: 1,496/$472 million

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
INCREASED EMPLOYMENT: One of the main objectives of the UEZ program is to increase the level of employment in designated zones. To remain in the program, you must increase your full-time employment level by at least one person during your first year in the program and maintain this increase throughout your program involvement. (You are NOT required to increase your level of employment by one additional person EVERY year.)
25% EMPLOYMENT FACTOR: If you located at your zone street address AFTER the date your municipality's zone was designated, you are required to meet a "25% Employment Factor" within two years from your certification date. This means during your first or second year in the program, at least 25% of your NEW full-time hires must meet one or more of the following criteria:
1) the employee is a resident of a NJ municipality in which any UEZ is located;
2) the employee is a NJ resident who has been unemployed or a recipient of NJ Public Assistance six months prior to being hired; or
3) the employee is economically disadvantaged according to the Federal Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA).

PLAINFIELD UEZ APPLICATION
For an application to enroll in the Plainfield Urban Enterprise Zone, call:
Jacques Howard, UEZ Coordinator,
City of Plainfield Office of Economic Development
515 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060
(908) 753-3602

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For more information:
Plainfield SID
126 E. Front Street
Plainfield, NJ 07060 US
Email: info@positivelyplainfield.org