Opinion: How Middletown, New Jersey Keeps its Neighborhoods White

Middletown is regarded as a beautiful place to live, a perfect suburban town. The New York Times posted an article in 2018 highlighting its attraction and emphasizing its wide range of housing options and pricing. Real estate agent and Middletown resident of 44 years Fran Judas commented, "'It's a beautiful town, but some people don't know about it. We have horses, we have water. There's fishing and golf. We have good schools. There's really nothing more you need.'" (Capuzzo 1). Middletown has been a majority white town dating back to its founding in 1665 when European settlers purchased the land from (Leni-Lenape) Native American settlers. Today, 93.1% of Middletown residents are white, with Hispanic being the second most prevalent race at a mere6.4% (according to the Census Bureau). For the small number of Middletown's current POC residents, life in Middletown is challenging and alienating. Jada Tuklloch, a black woman, lifetime Middletown resident, and Middletown High School North's 2021 valedictorian, spoke out on social media after our peers compared their protests (for an in-person graduation ceremony) to the Black Lives Matter protests. Tuklloch described Middletown as a "godforsaken town." Fran Judas saying there's "nothing more you need" in Middletown is an apparent contradiction to the fact that Middletown has virtually no affordable low-income or multi-family homes. (Fran was interviewed for the NYT not this article). Zoning maps show exclusionary patterns as single-family homes occupy most of the allotted land, and multi-family homes are scarce. Middletown needs diversity. Income diversity, racial diversity, and affordable housing options to dismantle exclusionary zoning are necessary to create equal-opportunity neighborhoods. Middletown's exclusionary zoning policy is a barrier to racial and economic equality, and proper affordable housing needs to be constructed.

According to township officials, Middletown is an equal-opportunity neighborhood that has built hundreds of affordable housing units since 1999. In reality, Middletown has been deceitful with records of available, affordable housing. 3.2 % of Middletown's total land area is zoned for multi-family housing—and 84.6% for single-family residential homes. Many districts, such as the RHA, the mid-rise apartment districts, "were created in response to the need to provide moderately priced housing for senior citizens." (9). The entire RHA zone was constructed for senior citizens, and, as stated in zoning policy documents, new units will be developed in the RHA district (for only senior citizens). Virtually all of the multi-family housing in Middletown is intended for senior citizens. The R-1 and R-2 multi-family districts are also solely senior citizen developments. The largest allotted land and highest density multi-family units are in the RGA districts. With two primary zones, there are a total of 966 units and only 28 affordable units. In addition, out of the many multi-family units in the RHA zone, only about 2.7% are affordable units. Adding up all the affordable multi-family units in all of Middletown shows only 48 affordable units out of about 24,000 households (2020 Census Bureau). With some simple math, out of the mere 3.2 percent of multi-family housing, only about 0.7 percent of the total land use is multi-family affordable housing. Exclusionary zoning policies such as the Middletown zoning map restrict affordable multi-family homes, creating inequality. Middletown's small percentage of affordable homes intentionally developed for elderly residents is exclusionary since the elderly are only a portion of the people who need affordable multi-family housing. Working, low-income, and young families looking to buy their first home benefit from multi-family and affordable housing. The zoning map and land use plan are documents that imply that only Middletown residents should and can benefit from multi-family homes. The construction of multi-family homes would allow new residents to move into Middletown and diversify the community economically, socially, and potentially culturally. Middletown claims to have abundant, affordable housing units, but an in-depth look at the local policy proves most multi-family units are for the elderly. In a state as densely populated and racially diverse as New Jersey is, it amazes me that towns like Middletown exist; maintaining segregation through zoning maps needs to be eradicated to meet the needs of those who are not economically advantaged and who may not be current residents.

State fair housing policy serves the interests of people who may not currently reside in neighborhoods they wish to live in and those who cannot represent themselves due to social or economic circumstances. The Mount Laurel Doctrine, first enacted in 1975, "...was the first case of its type in the nation and is widely regarded as one of the most significant civil rights cases in the United States since Brown v. Board of Education." (Fair Share Housing Center 2). Between 1975 and 1983, after Mount Laurel I was passed, most local governments openly refused to implement the doctrine. And in 1985, when Mount Laurel II was passed, it faced similar resistance. After Mount Laurel II, developers, and public interest groups could now file lawsuits against municipalities. In 2015 the state of New Jersey reaffirmed the Mount Laurel Doctrine to ensure affordable housing units in new developments. The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), which was created in 1985 simultaneously with Mount Laurel II, was disbanded because city governments and local politicians who did not want to create affordable housing dismissed COAH policies and representatives. The Mount Laurel Doctrine was put in place to combat exclusionary zoning practices at the city level and ensure low-income housing in every town in New Jersey. The restructuring and consistent enforcement of the state's Fair Housing policies indicate local governments' effective opposition to housing reform. Therefore, municipalities support for excluding New Jersey's poor and minority population.

Middletown has found a way to get around the Mount Laurel Doctrine by withdrawing
from negotiations with representatives from the Fair Share Housing Center (in 2019) concerning
high-density affordable housing. Frank Argote-Freyre posted an article in 2019 highlighting
Middletown's failure to comply with the affordable housing policies of the Mount Laurel II
Doctrine. New luxury developments are being constructed all over Middletown with no affordable
housing units. I currently live in a single-family luxury development that began construction in
2016; I know for a fact that no affordable multi-family townhomes are being built, even though
Mount Laurel II requires affordable units in new developments. Across the street from my
development is an entirely multi-family development with modern luxury townhomes called Four
Ponds. Not a single townhome is an affordable unit. Argote-Freyre points out Middletown's
transgression stating that no affordable units at Four Ponds "...violated the plans the township filed with the now-defunct COAH, which explicitly required 75 affordable homes for families at Four Ponds, homes which the township inexplicably let the developer off the hook for and have never replaced." (1). Three days after the article was posted, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry responded in a defensive attack implying the state fair housing policy should not be enforced as local governments know what is needed and possible in terms of affordable housing. Tony Perry wants the affordable housing process and construction to be solely a local government challenge. Perry defends Middletown's construction of new single-family developments and the small number of affordable multi-family homes stating, "we would have an excessive number of affordable homes which would impact the quality of life here in Middletown....you can see how it negatively impacts the environment, overcrowds our schools, strains municipal services and creates traffic congestion." (1). I can think of five new luxury developments I have seen being built off the top of my head as I have driven around Middletown. Perry's statement on preventing affordable unit construction implies inequality since he only considers current residents. He argues that Middletown does not need the number of affordable units the state requires, but his opinion simply does not matter when it is against the law. I question what quality of life Perry is referring to; I can only assume he means minority residents will adversely affect the "quality of life" for white residents in the Middletown community. Creating more affordable homes in Middletown would not create much more overcrowding than the hundreds of luxury homes already being built. The high cost of housing today and the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic are pricing out many families across the nation. Middletown, a large resource-abundant suburb, needs to create housing options for citizens who may not currently reside in Middletown and can benefit from a town with adequate schools, resources, and opportunities. While New Jersey has adopted reforms to prevent exclusionary housing at the state level, Middletown has prioritized luxury housing in the already high-middle-cost suburban housing market.

The problem of a lack of affordable housing is met with resistance at the local level resides
in the fact that New Jersey state has not enforced the fair housing laws, which has led to the free
rein of township authority over zoning. Exclusionary zoning practices in Middletown have led to
in-access to job opportunities and high-performing education for those at a lower income and,
therefore, cannot buy or rent a home in Middletown. Middletown's housing market is
overwhelmingly unaffordable for low-income families, seemingly intentionally. But the costs of
exclusionary zoning, allowing only high to middle-income single families into homes, exacerbates income and racial inequality. A Middletown household income map shows the entire town to be either in the top 1% or in a range from high to upper middle income per household.
(bestneighborhood.org).

Racial inequality is linked to income inequality, and therefore Middletown's exclusionary zoning
practices further racial inequality. Noah Kazis, a Legal Fellow at NYU, reiterates, "Multiple
studies have found that restrictive, low-density zoning is associated with higher levels of
segregation by both income and race." (7). Middletown's restrictive zoning policies and attitudes
on affordable housing have locked in existing residential patterns of single-family high-income
homes. And consequently, exclusionary zoning denies people of color and low-income families
higher education, job opportunities, and community resources. Exclusionary zoning, specifically
multi-family and affordable housing, disproportionately affects people of color since minorities
have a higher poverty rate percentage. For example, Blacks represented 13.2% percent of the total
population but 23.8% of the poverty population. (2019 U.S. Census Bureau). Overcoming the
barriers to housing developments involves not only economic efficiency but also racial equity.

In New Jersey, the "achievement gap" between rich and poor and white and black/ Hispanic is continuing to expand wider than it already is. On a New Jersey standardized test called the PARCC, test score results showed, "Just 22 percent of students categorized as low-income met the mark on the new PARCC sixth-grade math exam, compared to 53 percent of those not considered low-income..." (Mooney 1). The test results are broken down by race show minority students to score significantly less than white and Asian students, and the difference increases with age and each grade. In New Jersey, Hispanic and black students with low-income students trial significantly behind compared to higher-income and white and Asian students. Middletown High School South was rated 152 for best public high schools out of 422 ranked schools in New Jersey (USnews.com), with a 96% graduation rate, compared to the 78% of Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey, which has a 100% minority enrollment rate and 55% qualify for the state provided free lunch program. According to USnews, Weeqayhic is one of the worst-performing high schools in New Jersey. Newark, New Jersey, is also one of the lowest income communities in the state of New Jersey, with a poverty rate of 28.3% – one out of every three and a half residents live in poverty. (Welfareinfo.org). If Middletown increased the number of affordable housing units according to state law, low-income families who wish to integrate into Middletown would be able to do so. Low-income families who may have lived in Newark, NJ, or any other low-income (low-resource and opportunity) neighborhood, could benefit from Middletown's high-performing schools and abundant resource community.

The result of continued exclusionary zoning practices in Middletown is continued segregation. America is more segregated today than it was when Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial and told the world, "I have a dream," in hopes of a nation free from segregation. Sixty years later, American suburbs are still highly segregated, which continues the issue of inequality America continues to face. Middletown prioritizing high-income, luxury developments, and single-family homes is unjust. Middletown's land use reform is long overdue. Middletown needs zoning reforms to overcome exclusionary zoning practices. Redrawing the zoning map and providing adequate, affordable housing in new developments is an achievable demand (since new developments are and continue to be constructed). Focusing on new affordable housing developments and market-rate multi-family housing is in accordance with state law and therefore is obligatory. If the absence of multi-family and affordable housing continues to go unaddressed, the opportunity gap will continue to expand, furthering the already increasing segregation America faces. With this, I ask Middletown residents, will "you make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." - Martin Luther King Jr.(March for Integrated Schools 1959).

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