Governor puts freeze on COAH activities

Governor puts freeze on COAH activities

By BETH DeFALCO

Associated Press

TRENTON

Gov. Chris Christie took a step Tuesday toward re­vamping the way the state mandates affordable hous­ing by freezing all activities of a state board until a task force he created can review the agency.

Christie had promised during his election cam­paign last year that he would offer mayors relief from the mandates ordered by the Council on Afford­able Housing.

On Tuesday, he created the five-member task force, led by Marcia Karrow, a former Republican legisla­tor from Hunterdon Coun­ty, that will examine the council and recommend re­forms within 90 days.

“Effectively, COAH has been shut down,” Christie said in announcing the task force.

Courts have found towns have an obligation to provide homes for lower-in­come people, and the coun­cil was formed to imple­ment those rulings. But many towns have been reluctant to build the cheaper units, saying that requiring affordable housing is a prime example of a court meddling in social engi­neering.

Earlier rules required municipalities to approve a unit of affordable housing for every eight market-rate homes that were built, and an affordable home for ev­ery 25 jobs created. That number changed to require one out of every five new housing units.

Mayors in many towns say the council’s oversight has slowed and, in some cases, prevented them from building affordable hous­ing.

If towns don’t file plans that meet the state require­ments, they can be sued by land developers. When builders win in court, they get the right to put up homes at a higher density than otherwise would be al- lowed.

“In short, the message to municipalities in New Jer­sey is that their COAH nightmare is over,” the gov­ernor said. “We’re going to make sure development gets placed back into the hands of local municipali­ties to make these kind of decisions.” Specifically, Christie’s task force will consider the best means for determining a municipality’s housing obligation. It will also con- sider ways to incorporate disabled and work-force housing, as well as redevel­opment of existing housing units, in the obligation for­mula.

The task force will also consider whether subur­ban towns should be al­lowed to pay cities to take their required affordable housing allotments. In 2008, Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed a bill out­lawing the practice, but there has been a recent push among lawmakers to allow communities that al­ready had agreements to go through with them so hous­ing can be built.

Advocates acknowledge that the current system is imperfect, but they argue that the council has suc­ceeded in getting affordable housing units that other­wise would not have been built. They say Christie’s task force will cause delays. According to the Fair Share Housing Center, 57 municipalities have re­ceived initial certifications for housing plans that could be put on hold by Christie’s action. The advo­cacy group said it would file an appeal of the execu­tive order.

Peter J. O’Connor, exec­utive director of the center, said Christie’s order “puts thousands of homes — and jobs — at risk at a time when the low-cost housing sector is the strongest part of the real estate market.”