From the Trenton Times:

State may lift age-restrictions on some housing

As developers across the state hesitate to break ground on projects that looked more profitable in better economic times, experts say housing reserved for residents “55 and older” is in all-too abundant supply in New Jersey.

The glut has led state lawmakers to consider a bill that could allow developers to remove age limits on already-approved housing without starting the municipal approval process anew.

If the state tosses builders a lifeline and allows them to market the homes to a wider market, supporters of the proposed law say, 55-and-over projects that currently stand dormant could become active construction sites, creating much-needed jobs.

Yet in advance of a vote on the measure in the state Assembly today, some local officials are crying foul.

They say such age-restricted developments were often approved because of their relatively low impact on local schools and other taxpayer-funded government services. Remove the restrictions, they argue, and property owners will foot the bill.

In Hamilton, Mayor John Bencivengo drafted a letter last week pleading with state lawmakers to vote against the plan.

He said age restrictions on two Hamilton developments with a combined 431 housing units could be removed under the proposed law.

“This is absolutely ridiculous. We don’t have any more room in these schools,” Bencivengo said in an interview last week. “What’s the sense of having the planning board in the local town if this is what the state can do? The reason we approved this in the first place is because it was senior housing.”

Under the proposal, developers who already have approval for a 55-and-over community would have a two-year window during which they can apply to the local planning or zoning board for removal of the age restrictions.