Communities throughout New Jersey must comply with the affordable housing rules, stipulated by the Fair Housing Act (amended 2008) to provide through its land use regulations a realistic opportunity for a fair share of its region’s present and prospective needs for housing for low and moderate income families.
Environmental commissions can help municipalities comply with its obligations without straining natural resources and be a champion for building sustainable affordable housing see “Sustainable Housing for All” article in ANJEC Winter 2020 Report. The NJ Housing and Finance Agency (NJHMFA) also champions energy efficiency and green building practices through its Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
Currently the determination of affordable housing obligations are administered by the Court as the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) once the primary jurisdiction for administering housing obligations was divested of its jurisdiction in 2015. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on March 2024 signed Bill A-4/S-50, which streamlines the process for determining and enforcing these obligations. Advocates believe this will provide more certainty for housing developers and reduce litigation-related delays to the construction of new affordable housing. The new reforms will take effect in 2025.
Affordable Housing Obligations under the 4th round New Jersey is approaching the 4th round (2025-2035) were recently released for NJ’s 564 municipalities. The full DCA report can be downloaded HERE. The outcome of this new round of numbers will have a major impact on the planning, zoning, environmental, and budgetary decisions of municipalities for years to come.
A guide to NJ Affordable Housing is available HERE