Public Meeting On Affordable Housing In Moorestown Thursday Night

MOORESTOWN, NJ — After months of questions from Moorestown residents that couldn’t be answered because of ongoing litigation, Moorestown Council will hold a special meeting this week to provide an update on its affordable housing obligations.

The meeting is set for Thursday night, 6 p.m., at town hall, 111 West Second Street. Council will enter into a closed session, and the public meeting is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Moorestown will also consider a resolution for changes to road closures in Moorestown for community events. Official action will be taken.

When the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) was disbanded earlier this decade, the number of required Affordable Housing units in municipalities statewide came into dispute. Moorestown's requirement remains unknown. It has filed a declaratory judgment action with the superior court of Burlington County to settle the dispute. Fair Share Housing Center has since entered that dispute as an intervenor.

Council held two closed session meetings on the issue in January. On Monday night, officials said they are close to reaching a settlement number, which triggered the upcoming public meeting. The township planner and other officials will be in attendance to provide an overview of what is happening.

Members of the public became outspoken about the issue in September, after the township issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) d related to a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) it previously put out for a proposed low and moderate income housing project on the Nagle Tract on Hartford Road. They became frustrated with the lack of answers they were receiving from council, and formed a community action group the Moorestown Area Residents Interested in Fair Housing Ordinance (MARIFHO), in an effort to find answers either from the township or the court.

At the Jan. 22 meeting, council announced that the township would no longer pursue 100 percent low and moderate income housing for the Nagle Tract. Instead, the township will seek to put a mix of low, moderate and average income homes on the property.

Read more here: Changes Made In Affordable Housing Plans For Nagle Tract

Patch file photo