Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset
County, New Jersey
2008 Affordable Housing PlanThe Township is currently preparing a new affordable housing plan, which must be submitted to the State Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) by December 31, 2008. This plan (also referred to as a “Fair Share Plan”) must describe how the Township proposes to address its affordable housing obligation which, per COAH rules, is approximately 1,000 for the “Third Round” period. The “Third Round” period is from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2018. If the Township does not submit a plan by the December 31st deadline it will expose itself to builder’s remedy lawsuits that could significantly decrease the Township’s control over how and where affordable housing is provided in the Township. On August 6th, the Township’s consultant, Jim Bell of GroupMelvinDesign, provided the Township with his initial assessment (found here) of where we stand with respect to our COAH obligation. Mr. Bell’s initial assessment indicated that we need to provide about 150 additional COAH units after factoring in affordable developments that have already been built, that are under construction, that have received development approvals, or that have the necessary zoning already in place. He also recommended that we go somewhat over to create a “cushion” of excess units in case of any additional future requirements by COAH, or in case they question any of the credits we submit. Over the last few months a number of developers have approached the Township seeking to be included in the affordable housing plan. On September 24th, at a televised worksession, the Planning Board discussed the merits of each of the eight proposals in order to make a determination as to which proposal(s) to include in the affordable housing plan. At the beginning of the meeting, the Chairman read a statement (found here) that provided some history and perspective on the COAH issue as it affects Franklin and that described the Township’s efforts to minimize impacts to Franklin. A summary of the Planning Board’s discussion was provided to the Township Council in the form of a memorandum (found here). The Township Council subsequently discussed the affordable housing matter at its televised October 14th meeting. Working with Township staff and based upon input provided by the Planning Board and Township Council, Mr. Bell prepared a draft outline plan (found here) which was provided to the Township Council and Planning Board. Mr. Bell presented the draft plan to the Planning Board at its televised worksession on October 22nd. The draft plan indicates an updated remaining obligation of 141 units along with an obligation to provide for 118 very-low income units. The draft plan proposes to meet this remaining obligation primarily through three proposals (Springhill Senior, Ladureé and Summerfields). Under the draft plan, the Township would meet its affordable housing obligation while maximizing the number of permissible bonus credits (i.e., credits towards our obligation that do not result in actual housing units) and the number of affordable units restricted to seniors (COAH rules limit us 25%). A final draft of the plan is now being prepared by the consultant. (found here) The Planning Board will conduct a public hearing on Monday, December 8th at 7:30 pm. After adoption of the plan by the Planning Board, it will be forwarded to the Township Council for a supportive resolution prior to submittal to COAH. The final plan will be available for public inspection in the Municipal Building at least 10 days prior to the hearing. It will also be posted on the Township website.
Additional InformationAn overview of the income levels for low- and moderate-income housing can be found here. COAH’s Adoption of new “Third Round Rules” July 2008 Amendments to Fair Housing Act (“A-500”)
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