The recent proposal by Intercap Holdings to build 935 housing units may be the best way to meet the township’s affordable housing requirements, according to council members.
The council is continuing to work through its draft redevelopment plan, with the issue taking center stage at council meetings Monday and Wednesday.
The council hopes to review a new draft of the plan prepared by architectural firm RMJM Hillier at its Dec. 10 meeting, with the possibility of sending it to the Planning Board that night.
Council President Charles Morgan said building affordable units in the redevelopment area would allow the township to use Council On Affordable Housing rules to reduce the total number of housing units, both market rate and affordable, built in the township.
”To me, this is a very simple statement that we want redevelopment,” he said, adding that a much larger number of units would need to be built if the units were outside the redevelopment area. The number could be as high as 1,800, he said.
Last week, Intercap Holdings Chairman Steve Goldin proposed to council a plan that would build 935 units on the company’s 25-acre property along Washington Road. The first phase of construction would include 660 units, 92- percent of which would be two-bedrooms.
The number includes 60 units of the township’s affordable housing obligation, generated by construction on the NJ Transit property.
Council Vice President Heidi Kleinman, who spoke to Mr. Goldin last week about the possibility of his building the affordable units, said she was not favoring a particular developer.
”We will peddle that deal to anyone,” she said.
Though Mr. Morgan said some parts of Mr. Goldin’s proposal were “totally unacceptable,” council has to hear all its options.
”We’re foolish to ignore somebody who will give us what we want with no pain,” he said.
Building the units outside the redevelopment area would result in a much higher number of housing units, Mr. Morgan said.
”I opposed a thousand houses two years ago in the election,” Mr. Morgan said. “That was then and today is today, and COAH rules weren’t here then,” Mr. Morgan said.
Plans developed last year by architectural firm RMJM Hillier had 1,000 or more housing units, drawing outrage from the community and sending council back to the drawing board on redevelopment.
”My job is not to stick to a prior position that today is foolish,” Mr. Morgan said.
The township is responsible to build affordable housing based on commercial development, Councilwoman Linda Geevers said. The fee the developer pays the township in compensation leaves a budgetary shortfall, she added.
”You can get into the millions of dollars in the shortfall,” she said. “Therein lies the problem.”
Much of the redevelopment talks have centered around COAH requirements, which been criticized for being too burdensome on suburban municipalities.
The COAH rules are now in active litigation, Township Attorney Mike Herbert said, and may be invalidated. The rules discourage commercial growth, he said, which in the current economy is creating pressure in the state legislature.
”From what I’m hearing tonight, a lot of the redevelopment plan has been driven by COAH, which is unfortunate,” Mr. Herbert said at the council meeting Monday night.
A council meeting will be held 7 p.m. Thursday where all five council members are expected to review the current draft. If it is found to be acceptable, it will be sent to RMJM Hillier to be reworked.
Councilman Will Anklowitz, who has not been present at council work sessions on the redevelopment plans, said at the council meeting Monday night that he will not support “a large amount of housing.”
He added, “If that’s in there, that’s a lot of discussion we’re going to have to have.”

