West Windsor Shrinks Round 4 Housing Obligation, Eyes Immunity To 2035

WEST WINDSOR, NJ — West Windsor successfully reduced its state-mandated affordable housing obligation by more than 200 units, Mayor Hemant Marathe said during his State of the Township address Monday night, calling it one of the township's high points of the past year.

The reduction in the township's Round 4 affordable housing requirement translates to approximately 800 fewer total homes being built in West Windsor, Marathe said, counting the market-rate units that typically accompany affordable housing development in inclusionary projects.

"While some issues remain before the courts, we are confident that following our plan will secure immunity through 2035," Marathe told the council.

The fourth round of New Jersey's affordable housing process, which runs from 2025 through 2035, required municipalities across the state to calculate and adopt their fair-share obligations under a new framework signed into law in 2024.

Towns that comply with the process receive immunity from builder's remedy lawsuits — litigation that can allow developers to bypass local zoning to construct high-density projects that include affordable units. For a township that has absorbed substantial residential growth in recent decades, trimming the obligation carries significant implications for future development, school enrollment and traffic.

Marathe did not specify the township's original or final obligation figures in his address, or which issues remain in litigation.

The housing discussion came amid a broader accounting of the township's year. Marathe noted that West Windsor maintained its AAA bond rating and has held its average annual municipal tax increase to 1.85 percent over the past five years, despite an increase this year.

He added that the township receives only about 15 cents of every property tax dollar paid while providing services including garbage and recycling collection, snow removal, police, fire and emergency services, and parks and recreation.

The mayor also pointed to outside recognition of the township's trajectory, noting that Niche recently ranked Princeton Junction the best place to live in New Jersey — a designation he said the township neither applied for nor knew it was being considered for.

Marathe delivered the annual address at the invitation of Council President Sonia Gawas and the township council.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com