What Is ‘Affordable?’ Montclair Seeks Public Feedback On Housing

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Want to sound off about affordable housing in Montclair? Residents can get a chance to catch the ear of local officials and administrators through an online survey.

On Monday, officials announced that the town council and staff have launched a poll to get feedback from Montclair residents on the issue. Take the online survey here.

“Your input will help Montclair better understand the community's views and needs, and help shape Montclair's housing policy going forward,” officials said. “Your feedback and participation is valuable, and we appreciate your time and honesty in completing the survey.”

What is “affordable” in Montclair? According to the survey:

“To provide some context, in New Jersey, affordable housing is defined as housing that is available to low and moderate-income households at a cost that does not exceed 30% of their gross household income. As of 2024, income levels for a family of four used to define affordable housing eligibility in Montclair were: moderate income - from $64,700 to $103,500; low income - from $38,800 to $64,700; and very low income - below $38,800.”

The demand for affordable housing in Montclair has long exceeded the available supply.

State officials recently released the affordable housing quotas that New Jersey towns and cities will have to meet over the next 10 years, including Montclair.

The calculations include numbers for “present need” (existing housing units deemed substandard/deficient and in need of repair), and “prospective need” (the number of new units that will be needed based on population trends).

Here are the totals for Montclair:

• Present Need – 132
• Prospective Need – zero

The Montclair Town Council accepted these numbers in a resolution at their Jan. 7 meeting.

Towns and cities don’t have to create the housing themselves, but must ensure that the threshold is met – often by requiring a certain percentage of affordable housing units as part of local real estate development projects. Other ways to meet the quota include building 100-percent affordable housing projects, preserving existing affordable homes, or creating accessory dwelling units.

The Department of Planning and Community Development provided an overview of the new affordable housing regulations to the Township Council in July 2024. View it online here.

Graduate students from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University recently worked with the Montclair Township Housing Commission to assess local affordable housing options. View the final report here.

Earlier this month, the township announced that five Housing Choice Voucher Program vouchers – otherwise known as “Section 8” – were released to Montclair residents. The current waiting list is now closed. Read More: Montclair Issues Rare ‘Section 8’ Vouchers, Many Remain On Wait List

A town hall meeting about Montclair's 2025 housing plan took place on March 13. Watch the video below, via MontclairTV34.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page.