NJ Affordable Housing Changes Are 'Major Step,' Bloomfield Mayor Says

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A landmark change to affordable housing regulations in New Jersey is on the horizon, and it’s good news for people struggling with the high price of living – including those in Bloomfield, advocates say.

Mayor Ted Gamble is among the pundits who are cheering for a new state law that will revamp the way affordable housing quotas are calculated in towns and cities across New Jersey.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill into law Wednesday. See Related: NJ Affordable Housing Rule Changes Pass, Head To Murphy For Signature

Murphy gave some background about the situation at a news conference to mark the law’s signing. The governor wrote:

“Affordable housing has been a central public policy challenge in New Jersey for nearly half a century. Forty-nine years ago this week, in a case brought by two local branches of the NAACP, the New Jersey Supreme Court held in a landmark ruling that every municipality must ‘make realistically possible an appropriate variety and choice of housing.’ The court went on to say that towns cannot stand in the way of opportunities for low- and moderate-income housing. This principle became known as the Mount Laurel doctrine. To this day, it is studied by law students and lawyers all across the nation.”

Murphy continued:

“For decades, all three branches of government have wrestled with how to apply the principles of Mount Laurel in practice. At times, our state Legislature has tried to address this issue. At other times, the process for determining affordable housing obligations was left to an executive branch agency. But more recently, over the last 10 years, this process has mainly played out in the courts, through litigation.”

The time for that is over, Murphy said.

With the signing of Wednesday’s bill, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs will now be running the numbers. Towns will then have the freedom to come up with plans to meet those quotas. Municipalities can earn bonus credits for constructing affordable housing where it is needed most, such as transit hubs, or for providing housing for vulnerable populations like senior citizens.

And if there is a dispute, it will be handled through a mediation program run by the courts, the governor said.

“In short, this legislation will enable us to build new affordable housing where it is needed, with far fewer hurdles,” Murphy said.

The new process will replace the role previously played by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), which has been “defunct” for over a decade and is formally abolished under the bill, the governor’s office said.

The news got a thumbs-up from Bloomfield's mayor and other community leaders on Wednesday.

"Since [I became] mayor, we’ve held three community meetings, and in every one, we heard from residents grappling with rising rents and a lack of affordable options," Gamble said.

"It’s time we all wake up and realize Bloomfield needs immediate action," he continued. "Governor Murphy's new framework is a major step toward ensuring more affordable housing, not only in Bloomfield but across the state of New Jersey."

"In many ways, Bloomfield is thriving, but in other ways our people are struggling, and as mayor I am committed to ensuring that we do not price-out our current community," Gamble added. "We have a lot of work to do here in Bloomfield, and I look forward to working with both local and statewide leaders to see how these new laws can help us address the concerns of so many here at home."

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