Proposed Affordable Housing Changes Would Impact Lacey: Officials

LACEY, NJ — Lacey Township officials are urging residents to contact their state representatives ahead of proposed changes to New Jersey's affordable housing laws.

This legislation "would result in less certainty and finality, less transparency, less balance, reduced flexibility, and increased litigation costs to the Township," officials said in a news alert shared Wednesday.

According to the township, these changes include:

• Weakening of municipal immunity from zoning lawsuits.
• Accepted affordable housing numbers are subject to change, even after acceptance.
• Unequal representation in the decision-making bodies among housing advocates, municipalities, and political parties.
• A lack of transparency for proposed affordable housing regulations.
• Shifting affordable housing accountability from developers to municipalities.
• Potential for increased litigation costs.
• Reliance on an untested formula to determine affordable housing allowance numbers.

You can find more details on these changes here.

"While an administrative process through the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) has been defunct for several years, the current process of dealing with affordable housing through the courts has created its own problems," officials said. "The legislation, as proposed, neither solves those problems in a municipal friendly manner, nor provides any added safeguards, more efficient processes, or more fair solutions to the development of affordable housing in Lacey Township."

The proposed legislation would replace COAH with a formula to determine how many affordable housing units each municipality is required to have available. Regional masters would be appointed in North, Central and South Jersey to address housing needs, and towns would have to take their findings into consideration. The full text of the bill can be found here.

"It is important that you engage with your state legislators to amend the proposed legislation to address the hardships that are outlined above," township officials said. Lacey is represented by the 9th Legislative District.

"It's important that all residents recognize the significance of this proposed legislation and the potential impact that it could have on affordable housing in Lacey Township for years to come," officials said. "As such, every member of this community is urged to educate themselves and contact their state legislators to ensure that your voices are heard and the rights of Lacey Township are preserved."