New Jersey lawmakers have advanced legislation they say would lead towns to take a more creative approach to solving the state’s shortage of low-income housing.
The state Assembly voted 51-28 on Monday to pass the latest version of a bill that makes sweeping changes to how New Jersey assigns and enforces towns’ requirements to build affordable housing. It includes a number of incentives to put lower-priced dwellings near key resources like grocery stores and transit centers.
“This is the first affordable housing legislation that would really incentivize communities to build housing where people are,” said Zoe Baldwin, New Jersey director for the Regional Plan Association, a non-profit civic organization for the Tri-state area.
The bill must next go to the state Senate, where proponents say they believe it can reach a vote by the end of the month — despite opposition from some town leaders and Republican lawmakers who worry it’ll lead to onerous housing requirements that strain local budgets and increase taxes on the middle class. Gov. Phil Murphy has indicated in his support for overhauling the state’s affordable housing system as well.
The bill formally dissolves the defunct Council on Affordable Housing that previously assigned towns affordable housing obligations in “rounds” — with the next such round starting in 2025. The council hasn’t met for years, falling apart amid political battles during Chris Christie’s governorship. Since then, towns have hashed out housing obligations through the courts, a process municipal leaders say is slow, cumbersome and costly.
The bill instead would have the Department of Community Affairs calculate affordable housing requirements and lay out steps for towns to adopt plans, using a formula based on a 2018 court ruling. Under a previous version of the bill legislators tried to rush through the end of their “lame duck” session late last year, that role would have fallen to the judiciary. Democratic Sen….
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