What is Summit’s affordable housing bond? Law Society Explanation | Media Pyro

SUMMIT, NJ – As redevelopment projects like Broad Street West have become a point of contention at Assembly Council meetings, many have questioned the city’s desire and commitment to affordable housing. pay.

A legal group, Summit’s affordable housing advocate, held a demonstration at Monday night’s council meeting to break down the city’s affordable housing restrictions.

Matthew DiLauri, Summit’s assistant director of operations and planning, explained that Summit entered into a Settlement Agreement with Fair Space Housing in October of 2016.

All New Jersey counties are required by state courts to provide affordable and affordable housing because of a 1975 NJ Supreme Court case in the City of Mt. Laurel.

Under the current settlement agreement, Summit has a long-term goal of rehabilitating 131 affordable housing units and building 663 new units.

This figure was reduced by 663 from its original limit of 738 because Summit has received multiple credits from building affordable housing over the years, as well as financing other affordable projects, such as one in Elizabeth that made 26 units.

DiLauri explained that Summit’s 131 amendment requirement means the city must make improvements to existing buildings that are “substandard” and be owned or rented by affordable housing.

The city must invest $10,000 in repairs per unit to count toward its obligation. This includes upgrading the HVAC system, roof, windows and more.
Apparently, it took a long time for Summit to build 663 new affordable units.

As a result, Fair Share Housing has set a short-term goal for the city to build on 50 new payment units by July 2025.

However, Summit has already built 18 units of affordable housing that will meet this goal. This includes the recent 12-unit Habitat for Humanity unit at 146 Morris Avenue, another at Ashwood Court and other projects on Summit and Morris avenues.

As it stands now, Summit needs to “take the necessary steps” to build 32 more affordable units by 2025 to reach 50 units.

Since the city does not have enough open land to build a single 50-unit affordable housing development, DiLauri said Congress will achieve its goal through scattered site development.

Broad Street West, which is proposed to include a percentage of affordable housing, is an example of a “dispersed site” development.

In addition to renovations like Broad Street West, DiLauri said other initiatives to help Summit meet its requirements include partnering with non-profit developers, such as Habitat for Humanity.

Other ways to capture affordable housing are being developed in overlay districts, but DiLauri said this does not count toward Summit’s 50 new units.

The city can also issue units with the proposed ordinance, requiring the developer to set aside a number of affordable units. DiLauri said the developer must put down 15 percent if it’s a lease or 20 percent if it’s an owner.

Summit has a growing Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Developers build residential and non-residential projects without affordable housing, which must be paid into the city’s trust fund.

The city’s current budget is $3,697,924, according to DiLauri’s presentation.

Councilman Greg Vartan explained that half of the 50 new units Congress must create cannot be blocked annually and must be available to the public. He also asked Holm, the affordable housing attorney, what “reasonable practices” meant.

Holm explained that the city needs to “use every means available” to build affordable housing, and that rebuilding is a priority for the Assembly.

Since the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) was abolished by Gov. Chris Christie in 2011, Holm described the current state of the courts as “the wild west” and hopes that come back COAH.

Cranford, along with 12 other towns, filed a lawsuit against Governor Murphy, forcing him to re-establish COAH.

Read more: Cranford joins 12 cities in affordable housing lawsuit against Murphy

Resident Kevin McGoey argued that 50 units would not need to be built by 2025 but the city should be able to “use them appropriately,” which he said the city is working on.

However, Holm said the city must demonstrate to Fair Share Housing that all conditions are in place to build 50 units by 2025.

“Whether or not 2025 creates a different story,” Holm said.

Holm added that the Summit currently has a ban on lawsuits by Mt. A builder’s remedy is a technique used by developers to speed up the construction of low-income or low-income housing when the county fails to comply with building regulations.

This allows the developer to avoid or ignore the city’s zoning laws and begin construction as quickly as possible.

Holm said if Summit doesn’t meet its obligations, the city will not suffer.

Mayor Nora Radest said Fair Share Housing has been “averse” to affordable housing, and is pushing cities like Chatham that haven’t built affordable housing in decades.

He said Summit is doing a better job of implementing affordable housing, as its goal is 50, as opposed to other cities that want 200.

You can watch the Conference Board meeting and the affordable housing demonstration on YouTube below:

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