Page "Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey" Paragraph 8

The western three-quarters of the township is governed by regulation by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, which places major limitations on development in that portion of the township, which remains as pine forest with a distinctly rural character, with other portions designated as a Rural Development Area.

Significant portions of the eastern quarter of the township are designated by the Pinelands Commission as part of the Regional Growth Area ( RGA ), in which development is " allowed and encouraged " in the area surrounding Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The majority of the township's residents live in the area covered by the RGA, which has been developed in suburban fashion and includes shopping areas such as the Hamilton Mall, part of the township's of first class commercial retail properties.