TRENTON — A Senate committee today approved a controversial affordable-housing bill without taking public comment, stunning scores of housing advocates who had hoped to testify. The bill also moved with amendments many of the advocates said they had not seen. They’re "mystery amendments," said Staci Berger of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. Previous coverage: •...
State Senator Ray Lesniak, sponsor of a controversial affordable housing bill.
TRENTON — A Senate committee today approved a controversial affordable-housing bill without taking public comment, stunning scores of housing advocates who had hoped to testify.
The bill also moved with amendments many of the advocates said they had not seen.
They’re "mystery amendments," said Staci Berger of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.
Berger also took issue with the portions of the bill, sponsored by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), with which she is familiar."He says this bill will make more affordable homes, but when you do the math, it just doesn’t do that," she said.
Lesniak has said the goal of the legislation is not to produce more affordable housing but rather to comply with state Supreme Court rulings that towns cannot block residents from access to such housing.
In an interview today after the Economic Growth Committee voted 7-0 to move the legislation to the full Senate, Lesniak said the bill will work if it becomes law.
"Every single municipality in New Jersey will have to build affordable housing if they build any housing," he said. The 10 percent set aside "applies across the board."
The set aside means 10 percent of a given development has to be allocated to affordable housing. A developer can opt not to set aside units but then would have to pay $10,000 per unit up to that 10 percent mark. A 100-unit condominium building, for example, would cost the developer $100,000 to opt out.
The senator also said the bill will require 13 percent of an affordable housing trust fund be dedicated to "low-low-income" housing; residents of a town will have preference for 50 percent of affordable housing; and those with special-needs will have priority for the housing.
Many of those hoping to testify were incredulous at not being allowed to speak.
"What really bothers me is this is a bill that will shape future land-use in the state for generations, and yet there wasn’t even a public hearing so that citizens could raise their concerns," said Jeff Tittel, director of the state chapter of the Sierra Club.
Lesniak, the committee's chairman, said he polled the panel and they all saw no need to take testimony because it was the third reading of the measure. He said testimony has been taken in the past.
The senator added he would have taken testimony on the amendments.
That drew gasps from some advocates because they had not been made privy to the amendments and thus could not comment on them.