New Jersey’s State Assembly narrowly approved legislation that would modify the state’s affordable housing regulations by abolishing the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), and eliminating a 2.5 percent fee on commercial development to help pay for affordable housing. COAH determined the number of affordable houses and apartments that municipalities had to help provide. The bill would also:
- Exempt 71 municipalities where more than half their children participate in subsidized school lunch programs from mandatory housing obligations.
- Require municipalities where 20 to 50 percent of their children participate in subsidized lunch programs to ensure that 8 percent of their housing is for low- and moderate-income families.
- Require municipalities where less than 20 percent of their children participate in subsidized lunch programs to ensure that 10 percent of their housing is for low- and moderate-income families.
- Impose a 1.5 percent development fee on residential developments that do not include low- and moderate-income housing units.
The bill will likely be considered by the state Senate next week.
