ALLENTOWN – In introducing an ordinance that establishes regulations having to do with affordable housing, municipal officials said they are trying to provide a level of protection for Allentown.
The ordinance was introduced on June 27 and has been scheduled for a public hearing during the Borough Council’s July 18 meeting.
Affordable housing is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below market rates to individuals and families whose income meets regional guidelines. Courts have ruled that New Jersey municipalities have an obligation to provide opportunities for the development of such housing within their borders.
Borough Attorney Greg Cannon said Allentown has two existing conditions that would appear to protect the borough from large affordable housing projects. Those conditions are a lack of buildable land and an inventory of historic homes that cannot be demolished to make way for new development.
Even with those conditions in place, Cannon said Mayor Greg Westfall and the members of the council want to be proactive with the issue of affordable housing.
Cannon provided background information about the affordable housing issue in New Jersey, which dates to the late 1970s and early 1980s. The issue was dealt with in court rulings referred to as the Mount Laurel decisions, so named because the initial case involved Mount Laurel in Burlington County.
More recently, after years when affordable housing regulations and development lapsed and after litigation was filed by the Fair Share Housing Center, Cherry Hill, state courts ruled the issue will now be administered by the courts and not by the state Council on Affordable Housing.
Cannon said borough officials are aware there is land in the community that can be developed and he said that at some point an entity could propose the construction of housing in Allentown.
“The council is trying to protect the town and this proposed ordinance will be sufficient to do that,” he said.
The ordinance creates an affordable housing trust fund “for the purpose of depositing development fees collected from residential and non-residential developers and proceeds from the sale of affordable housing units …”
The affordable housing trust fund “may be used for any activity … to address Allentown’s fair share obligation … Such activities include, but are not limited to, preservation or purchase of housing for the purpose of maintaining or implementing affordability controls, rehabilitation, new construction of affordable housing units and related costs, … regional housing partnership programs, conversion of existing non-residential buildings to create new affordable units … purchase of land for affordable housing, improvement of land to be used for affordable housing, …”
And, according to the ordinance, “All new development of five or more multi-family residential dwelling units and all redeveloped and/or reconstructed multi-family residential developments that result in the addition of five or more new residential units shall provide an inclusionary (affordable housing) component of 20 percent of the new dwelling units … ”
For all single-family residential developments that create new residential dwelling units as a result of the subdivision of one or more parcels of land, the developer will be required to provide a contribution of 1.5 percent of the assessed value of the additional or new homes resulting from the subdivision to the housing trust fund, and 6 percent of the assessed value for those homes exceeding the number of homes permitted by the pre-existing zoning for the parcel or parcels comprising the development, according to the ordinance.
The ordinance was introduced with support from council President Wil Borkowski, Councilman Rob Schmitt, Councilwoman Angela Anthony and Councilwoman Johnna Stinemire.
Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the ordinance on July 18.
In other business, the council awarded a contract for solid waste collection to Waste Management Inc., Woodbine, for the period of July 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019, in the amount of $257,782 ($8,592 per month).
Garbage will be picked up once each week on Wednesday. The contract includes the collection of garbage at the Towne Mews apartments. Three bids were received for the contract and Waste Management Inc. was found to be the lowest responsible bidder, according to the resolution.
And, the council awarded a contract for recyclable materials collection to Central Jersey Waste, Ewing, for the period of July 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019, in the amount of $67,907 ($2,263 per month).
Recyclable materials will be picked up every other Tuesday. The contract includes the collection of recyclable materials at the Towne Mews apartments.
Finally, the council revised several meeting dates. The council cancelled its July 11 meeting and will meet on July 18. The only meeting in August will be on Aug. 8. The council will meet on Sept. 12 and changed the date of its Sept. 26 meeting to Sept. 28.