Coming soon: a COAH plan for Hillsborough

By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
   HILLSBOROUGH — With the Dec. 31 deadline to finalize an affordable housing plan rapidly approaching, Democratic candidate for Township Committee Matt Dawson asked at the Oct. 14 Township Committee meeting why a preliminary plan has not been presented to residents.
   ”I’m glad we are moving forward with a plan,” he said. “But now that it is two months before the deadline, why not have preliminary plan discussions?”
   Mr. Dawson said he is especially concerned about the possibility that there may be necessary zoning changes once the township finalizes its plan.
   ”We should have the discussions so those living near zone changes would have the chance to speak out,” he said.
   According to Township Committeeman Carl Suraci, however, the plan will not require such massive changes.
   ”I don’t think we will have to rely on zoning changes for this plan,” he said. “This will be nothing like the Erickson project with hurdles that need to be cleared.”
   Still, Mr. Dawson said, with the plan for the Community on Affordable Housing (COAH) being completed so close to the deadline, there will not be an opportunity for residents to express concerns, and for changes to be made if necessary.
   ”If the community is impacted and the residents object, we are stuck,” he said. “My concern is that if there is a problem, it will be too close to the deadline for community input to matter.”
   Mr. Suraci said he believes the township can develop a plan without impacting the residents.
   ”There should be no community issues to discuss,” he said.
   Deputy Mayor Frank DelCore said there will be an opportunity for residents to comment on the plan once the plan is complete.
   ”We have been ahead of the game with COAH,” Mayor Anthony Ferrera said. “We are quite ahead of most towns, and we will minimize the impact as much as we can.”
   In a separate interview, Mr. Suraci said that the township’s consultant could not move forward with the plan until last month, when amendments to the original regulations were approved.
   ”The revised rules were not adopted until September,” he said. “(We couldn’t move forward) when nothing had been adopted.”
   At this time, Mr. Suraci said, the township is hoping to have the plan ready for public hearings after Thanksgiving.
   At the meeting, Mr. Suraci provided an update on the League of Municipalities’ lawsuit against the approved third round regulations, which has gained the support of 237 municipalities in the state, including Hillsborough.
   In addition, Mr. Suraci said, the league sought a stay of the Dec. 31 deadline.
   The motion was denied first by COAH and then by the Appellate Division.
    “The league said the courts didn’t want to be seen as obstructing affordable housing,” Mr. Suraci said.
   The lawsuit, Mr. Suraci said, addresses three issues with the regulations. He said the COAH plans are based on faulty analysis of the municipalities, the regulations inhibit economic growth and they discredit the vacant land analysis, which outlines land that is available for development.
   ”Hopefully the courts will realize that what we have here is an unfair burden,” he said.
   Mr. Suraci also said about 24 municipalities and organizations have filed challenges against the COAH regulations, with the league’s suit being the lead one.
   ”The timeline (of the challenges) requires patience,” he said.
   In May, Princeton law firm Hill Wallack, LLP, which has represented builders challenging towns’ affordable housing plans, released a list of total affordable housing requirements for municipalities in New Jersey.
   According to the list, Hillsborough will be required to build 650 units of affordable housing from past development obligations, and rehabilitate 19 units of substandard housing. The town must also look into 461 units of low- and moderate-income housing, which would be available in the coming years.
   Mr. Suraci said despite September’s approved amendments, Hillsborough’s obligation has not changed. One amendment does use a revised vacant land analysis to look into lands that are environmentally sensitive, but it should not affect Hillsborough’s numbers.
   ”The amendments were to protect the Highlands Region and environmentally sensitive land,” he said.