Affordable Housing Hearing For Millburn Delayed Again

MILLBURN, NJ — A "Final Compliance Hearing" to discuss Millburn's attempts to meet its state affordable housing mandate has been moved from this coming Thursday until late next month.

The hearing before Superior Court Judge Robert H. Gardner "in the Mount Laurel action entitled In the Matter of the Application of the Township of Millburn," scheduled for June 30 at 1:30 p.m., has been moved to July 29 at 8:45 a.m.

Numerous twists and turns have occurred amid the debate over how to provide affordable housing in Millburn.

As Millburn strives to meet its state-ordered mandate to provide affordable housing — a mandate for all New Jersey municipalities that goes back to a 1970s court case involving the town of Mount Laurel — a proposed settlement hit a road block this month. The town's Planning Board voted against a settlement plan including an affordable 75-unit housing complex at 9 Main St.

Residents and some officials have argued that the proposed building on Main Street would be too segregated from the rest of town, and too dense. A petition to oppose the 9 Main St. proposal had amassed 1,487 signatures as of Tuesday.

The Township Committee approved a settlement last year to satisfy their obligation to provide more than 1,000 units of affordable housing by 2025.

The petitioners say they'd like the Town Council to tell the Fair Share Housing Center, a New Jersey nonprofit that has sued the town and others to provide affordable housing, that they'd prefer a mix of affordable and market rate housing on that site instead.

Last week, residents also attended a Township Committee meeting and spoke out about various aspects of the plan.

"The township must go back to Fair Share Housing and renegotiate this plan," said Deputy Mayor Dianne Eglow earlier this month. "We must ask for continued immunity from builder's remedy lawsuits. There must be a reexamination of the proposed settlement agreement ... There must be a public process and full transparency moving forward."

Former Township Committee candidate Jeffrey Feld has been saying not enough resident input was considered in what he called the "stealth" plan. "We need a fresh set of eyes to examine the quality of legal advice being received by the township behind closed doors," he said this week.

The court provided this link for the matter originally scheduled on Thursday, but the link may change by next month. https://njcourts.zoomgov.com/j/1603716003?pwd=RnUrZXF5eDJld2ZFWGFURHAwU0U3Zz09

Meeting ID: 160 371 6003

Password: 358489

More information is here.