The CRC approved the land-use planning moratorium and the review process with the stipulation that the review be conducted by an external body. The Review Team was appointed by the chairman of the CRC, the chairman of the Coastal Resources Advisory Council and the director of the Division of Coastal Management. Because this team was tasked with developing specific changes to the planning program and guidelines, the commission determined that this should be a small working group, even if that limited some stakeholder involvement.

Team members were chosen for their knowledge of the CAMA planning process, their area of expertise and their geographic location. The team was not envisioned to be a true stakeholder group, and thus appointments to the group did not include all interested parties, and selections were not made through a strict set of criteria.