A group of bills up for a vote in the Assembly today aimed at revamping the process used to construct affordable housing in New Jersey has received endorsements from local elected officials, home builders, and grassroots organizations.
The six-bill package includes a proposal to abolish the defunct Council on Affordable Housing, with a panel of expert mediators resolving disputes about the number of units and their locations.
Since the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Mount Laurel I decision in 1975, local officials, the legislature, and the courts have battled over implementation issues.
“We’ve made some great progress,” said Mike Cerra, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. “I look forward to continuing our engagement with sponsors in both houses and the administration to make sure that the fourth round doesn’t look anything like the third round.”
East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov said the legislature needs to “actually step up and act, to implement a rationale and achievable statewide housing policy.”
“We hope this is really the start of an important partnership on providing and generating affordable housing,” she said.
The bills under consideration today include proposals to: exempt “receipts from sales of materials, supplies, and services for certain affordable housing projects from sales and use tax;” obligate towns complying with affordable housing obligations to gain priority consideration for some state grants and assistance; allows municipal clerks to submit written statements on affordable housing; authorizing the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency to issue tax credits; and allowing an exemption from property taxes – substituted by a payment in lieu of taxes – for projects approved by state or municipal affordable housing trusts.
“The failure of the current state system has led to decades of court battles that have both delayed the establishment of affordable housing and resulted in too many scenarios in which municipal leaders have found themselves with very little ability to help craft the future development of their boroughs, their towns, their cities,” said Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch.
He said that Coughlin’s bill to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing “creates a system that does more to ensure affordable housing is established for those in need and will also help municipal leaders like myself regain the ability to truly drive and craft what our towns and boroughs need for the future.”
“This legislation offers a lifeline to thousands of New Jersey families who are struggling to keep up with soaring housing costs,” said Adam Gordon, executive director of Fair Share Housing Center. “It streamlines the affordable housing process for everyone involved, putting New Jersey on a clear path toward building more affordable homes. We applaud the Assembly for moving forward this legislation today, and hope the bill advances to the Governor’s desk quickly with as strong protections as possible for keeping housing affordable into the future.”
The bill also received the backing of AARP, the CWA, the Latino Action Network, and Princeton Mayor Mark Freda.