Harold E. Vickers, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Township Committee of Gloucester Township, Defendants-Appellants

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and reinstated the Law Division judgment, holding that Gloucester Township's amendment to its zoning ordinance barring trailer camps in the industrial district – thereby prohibiting them throughout the municipality – was a valid exercise of its zoning power and complied with statutory procedural requirements. The Court reasoned that a municipality may, in pursuit of the general welfare, exclude a use entirely when reasonably calculated to advance community goals, and that the Planning Board's 45‑minute consideration satisfied the statutory "reasonable time" provision. Justice Hall dissented, arguing that the majority's approach grants municipalities unchecked authority to exclude uses based on subjective preferences.