February 24th 2011

Appellate Division Invalidates Regional Guidelines

Posted by Kevin Walsh

Good news for people who believe in due process and public participation. This morning, the Appellate Division published a decision written by Judge Stephen Skillman that directs the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) to follow the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) when it adopts regulations. The court reversed COAH’s September 2009 adoption of Regional Affordable Housing Development Program Guidelines because the “Guidelines” were really rules that the public was entitled to comment on before they were issued by COAH. (more)

February 16th 2011

The New Jersey Digital Legal Library

Posted by Damika Webb

Here’s a good source of information for people interested in affordable housing in NJ. The Rutgers University Library for the Center for Law and Justice hosts the New Jersey Digital Legal Library which provides public access to materials of New Jersey law and legal history.  (more)

February 15th 2011

Registration Open for New Jersey Future’s Sixth Annual Redevelopment Forum

Posted by Damika Webb

New Jersey Future’s Redevelopment Forum will be held on Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Hyatt Hotel and Conference Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The day-long event will feature workshops and speakers who will provide practical tools for encouraging redevelopment in New Jersey.  (more)

January 28th 2011

Star-Ledger Editorial:  Governor “is ignoring…the state’s most vulnerable families.”

Posted by Damika Webb

Gov. Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed the affordable housing bill that legislators spent months piecing together. It was an imperfect bill that fell short of what’s needed, given the housing crisis New Jersey faces. But it was a big step forward. (more)

January 28th 2011

Tell Your Legislators to Reject the Conditional Veto

Posted by Damika Webb

On January 24, Governor Christie conditionally vetoed the housing legislation that was passed by the Legislature earlier in the month. The legislation had support from many housing and special needs groups and the business community. NAIOP New Jersey Chapter, New Jersey Business & Industry Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, New Jersey Builders Association and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce all urged the Governor to sign the legislation as “workable housing policy”. While we believed that the municipal obligations in S1/A3447 were too low, we agreed that the bill does provide a workable and predictable framework to get homes built.

Gov. Christie’s conditional veto would return the bill to the “old S1” considered by the Legislature last spring, a bill deemed unconstitutional by the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services. In this e-mail, we recap the various reasons why the old bill gathered so much opposition from the business, civil rights, environmental, housing, mental health, religious and smart growth communities.  (more)