By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
HIGHTSTOWN With all the proposed pieces in place, the borough can now meet the Council on Affordable Housing’s Dec. 31 deadline to submit its affordable housing plan.
By a 4-1 vote Monday, the Borough Council approved amendments to the local Master Plan that enumerate how the borough would meet its COAH obligations through 2018.
The lone no-vote came from Councilman Dave Schneider, who has repeatedly said he does not believe the borough needs to cooperate with COAH.
The plan calls for 51 COAH units to fulfill the borough’s obligation over the next decade, 23 of which would come from renovations in the Housing Authority apartments, formally known as Hightstown Homes, on Rogers Avenue and Academy Street.
The Housing Authority was built in 1961, and a state Department of Community Affairs spokesman has said that public housing units only qualify for COAH credit if they were built after 1980. However, Borough Planner Tamara Lee previously said she plans to seek a waiver from COAH to have the renovated units be counted, since similar renovations are allowed for single-family homes.
She estimated the cost of meeting the borough’s COAH obligation at $970,000 over the next decade, but explained Wednesday that money would come from grants, developer’s fees and the state affordable housing fund.
New COAH regulations adopted earlier this year require one COAH unit per every five new market-value units, and one COAH unit per ever 16 jobs created.
Municipalities are not compelled to provide affordable housing, but meeting COAH requirements protects them from lawsuits predicated on the Fair Housing Act of 1985.
In related business, the council voted 5-0 to hire Gail Pfister as the borough’s municipal housing liaison/regional contribution agreement administrator. Ms. Pfister is an employee of Robbinsville. She will fill the role under an interlocal agreement, and will be paid $30 an hour. The position is a new COAH requirement.
Councilman Jeff Bond did not attend the meeting.
