Bridgewater Proposes Lower Number Of Affordable Housing Units

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Township Council is proposing a lower number of affordable housing units in response to the required New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) fourth-round obligation.

"This has been a stressful time for the administration, for the council, and our consultants as we address an arbitrary and blatantly unfair number forced upon us by the state and the courts," said Council President Howard Norgalis at the Thursday meeting.

The Council unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday revising its obligation to 417 units versus the DCA's published non-binding number of 474 for Bridgewater.

The DCA's number is based on land use data from 2020 where certain properties may no longer be developable.

The Township needed to pass the affordable housing resolution by Jan.31 to avoid any builder remedy lawsuits.

"If you don't have a number then you do not have builder's remedy immunity. You are still required to provide affordable housing so you just can't say we don't want to do it. Because if you do then somebody comes in and sues the Township and then rather than us getting to choose where and how the affordable housing is built then the developer who is bringing the developer's remedy lawsuit basically they get to force it where they want it," said Mayor Matthew Moench.

Darlene Green of Colliers Engineering and Design, who serves as the Township's Affordable Housing Planner said Bridgewater essentially had one choice.

"Do you want to control your future? Or do you want some developers to control your future? That's what this boils down to," said Green.

This adoption of the affordable housing number is the first phase. The next phase in February is a "challenge period" where any interested party can challenge the municipality's adopted number.

A final affordable housing number will then be issued on April 1. After that, Bridgewater can begin to plan for affordable housing.

A final plan will be adopted by Bridgewater on June 30.

"I will be voting to support this resolution but because we have to, not because I want to see this happen to Bridgewater Township," said Councilman Allen Kurdyla. "The repercussions for not supporting it are certainly not acceptable. We need to work and come up with a plan that works for Bridgewater."

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