Affordable housing session tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building, Route 546 and Scotch Road
By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
Affordable housing will be the topic of a special meeting of the Hopewell Township Planning Board tonight (Thursday) at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building, Route 546 and Scotch Road.
Board members will review a nine-page First Draft housing report (dated Oct. 10). The draft addresses the affordable housing need for the period 1987-2018.
The board, according to Mayor Vanessa Sandom, will review the first-draft document and make changes, if necessary. Members will review another draft on Oct. 23. Revisions should be ready by Oct. 20. The public hearing at which the final plan is slated for adoption is set for Nov. 13.
Once the Planning Board has adopted the plan, the Township Committee would adopt a resolution endorsing it and petitioning the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) for substantive certification. This could be done at the Dec. 15 meeting of the Township Committee.
The affordable housing obligation, which is cumulative and includes the affordable housing need for the period 1987-2018, consists of three components: the rehabilitation share, the prior round obligation (1987-1999), and the growth share (1999-2018).
According to Michael Bolan, township planner, the township’s “future affordable housing obligation is estimated at approximately 400 to 500 affordable units by 2018. The actual obligation (known as growth share) is based on how much residential and nonresidential development is occupied in the township during the time period. Hopewell Township’s obligation is largely driven by nonresidential development (office parks).”
The draft plan, to be discussed tonight, addresses these thorny issues. Those interested are urged to attend the session.

