Montclair Needs Much More Affordable Housing; Waiting List Grows

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It now costs more than $1 million to buy a new, single-family home in Montclair. This was one of several eyebrow-raising statistics shared at a recent town council meeting during a discussion about affordable housing.

The council heard an update about housing in the township at their July 30 meeting, with presentations from director of planning/community development Janice Talley, members of the town’s housing commission, and Taiisa Kelly, CEO of Monarch Housing Associates (watch the video below).

Montclair quantified a need for 3,800 units of affordable housing in 2004. It currently has 775, Talley said.

There are 1,555 people on the waiting list for affordable housing rental units in Montclair. In the past month alone, 46 households have been added to the list.

Talley noted that more than 75 percent of the town’s affordable units can be found in the Fourth Ward. The Third Ward has 170 units, the Second Ward has 22 units, and only two units are located in the First Ward.

Talley shared a chart that lays out the income limits for affordable housing in Montclair (article continues below):

According to Talley, the sales prices of homes in Montclair have increased “significantly” – and are also outpacing incomes. That point was seconded by William Scott, a member of the Montclair Housing Commission, who presented figures that show a newly constructed single-family home in the town now tops $1 million.

“We know the housing prices in Montclair have skyrocketed,” Scott said. “And the rents have followed suit as well.”

Christina Kata, a member of the commission and the nonprofit Regional Plan Association, shared slides that show rental and homeowner vacancy rates in Montclair, as well as the median gross rents across the township.

Kata said that Montclair saw a “stark” decline in the percentage of Black residents from 2012 to 2022, which is contributing to “gentrification” in the town.

Montclair previously adopted an inclusionary zoning ordinance and created a housing commission to help make headway on the issue. According to Talley, some future strategies might include:

• Working with faith-based organizations to use excess land/building resources for affordable housing
• Using vacant township properties to provide affordable housing
• Creating a new program to encourage development of accessory dwelling units (which were approved by the township council last year)
• Revising affordable housing regulations to require a further set aside for supportive housing

Watch footage from the July 30 meeting below (video is cued to the affordable housing discussion). Learn more about affordable housing in Montclair – including how to apply to rent or buy a property – here.

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