TRENTON — Now that the Senate has passed a bill to revamp how New Jersey provides affordable housing, opponents of the controversial measure are focusing on the Assembly. "We agree that New Jersey’s current system needs to be renovated," said Judy Remington, executive director of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment, at a press conference today in...
State workers heading home walk past the Statehouse.TRENTON — Now that the Senate has passed a bill to revamp how New Jersey provides affordable housing, opponents of the controversial measure are focusing on the Assembly.
"We agree that New Jersey’s current system needs to be renovated," said Judy Remington, executive director of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment, at a press conference today in Trenton. "We are distressed by the current rush to tear it down without appropriate discussion and thought."
Remington was joined by representatives of several housing and environmental groups, many of whom wanted to testify on the amended bill (S1) before the Senate Economic Growth Committee earlier this month but were told no.
Bill sponsor Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) has said panel members, who approved the measure, were aware of the groups’ views.
The full Senate passed the bill last Thursday. It will be considered Wednesday. Now that the Senate has passed a bill to revamp how New Jersey provides affordable housing, opponents of the controversial measure are focusing on the Assembly.
"We agree that New Jersey’s current system needs to be renovated," said Judy Remington, executive director of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment, at a press conference yesterday in Trenton. "We are distressed by the current rush to tear it down without appropriate discussion and thought."
Remington was joined by representatives of several housing and environmental groups, many of whom wanted to testify on the amended bill (S1) before the Senate Economic Growth Committee earlier this month but were told no.
Bill sponsor Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) has said panel members, who approved the measure, were aware of the groups’ views.
by the Assembly housing committee. If passed by the full Assembly, it would advance to Gov. Chris Christie, who has said he will sign it.
Today, housing advocates and environmentalists took turns at a microphone, simulating testimony, to say the bill is flawed. They contended it will create more lawsuits than affordable houses, further polarize towns into rich and poor and allow rampant development in rural and environmentally sensitive areas.
The bill would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing, whose decisions on how many housing units each town should provide have spawned numerous lawsuits.
Adam Gordon of the Fair Share Housing Network, however, said if this bill had been in place since the council was formed in 1986, "it would have done far less" to provide affordable housing.
One current provision in the bill uses architecture — a town’s percentage of single-family attached housing — as a factor in determining the municipality’s affordable-housing obligations.
That means a $3 million condo in Hoboken could count as affordable housing, while a shack in the Pinelands would not, said Jeff Tittel, New Jersey Sierra Club director.
Advocates also said the bill lets developers opt out of their affordable-housing obligations by paying a pittance per unit that would have been designated affordable.
Lesniak has said the legislation is pro-affordable housing and anti-sprawl, and developers who don’t want to build affordable units would have to ante up real money.
"The Senate amended S1 to increase the per-affordable-unit payment from $50,000 to $75,000," he said today. "Although the statutory language is clear, the Assembly can clarify it further if they believe it will help stop the misinformation campaign against S1."
Related coverage:
| Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman defends no vote on affordable housing |
| Resident Brenda Towns says Morristown needs affordable housing |