From the News Transcript:
Howell officials grapple with housing mandates
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
The township has a 487-unit state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligation to fulfill and municipal professionals have unveiled a plan on how to meet that number.
Under COAH rules, developing municipalities such as Howell are required to provide affordable housing for people with low and moderate incomes as defined by the state. Affordable housing is housing that is sold or rented at below market prices to people with qualifying incomes.
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Newcomb gave a brief explanation as to why Howell must enter COAH’s third round of affordable housing requirements.As noted in the plan, “third round rules adopt a new ‘growth share’ methodology … [of] one new affordable housing unit for every eight market-rate homes that are built or for every 25 new jobs” created in the municipality.
Two objectors to the Housing Plan Element and Fair Share Plan – AST, Sunnyside Road, LLC, and Elon Associates, LLC – filed complaints which impact the round three obligations as well.
AST sought permission to build 245 age-restricted units on land fronting Route 9 north across from Sunnyside Road on the site of the Cutler-Rubenstein egg farm.
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To meet the balance of the 487 affordable housing unit requirement, Howell estimates it will receive a credit of 119 units from age-restricted housing projects; 53 units form inclusionary projects; 42 rental bonus credits; 26 units from settlement agreements; 24 units from growth share ordinances and amendments; and 20 units from the municipal rental program and accessory apartment programs, according to the Banish Associates report.Through allowing developers to construct 1,949 market rate units, the township says it will satisfy its 487-unit affordable housing obligation, according to the report. The total construction package calls for 2,198 news units in Howell.
You watch at the endof this round of COAH, how many municipalities get caught not have fulfilled the obligations due to the growth of the last 2 years and the lack of having growth share ordinances in place.
In Howell, things are always a mess with the affordable housing program because they never seem to actually adopt a plan and there are always lawsuits. I wish the story included something about how the lawsuits that it says are already filed came about. The township’s Master Plan is a joke, because developer’s are always seeking and mostly getting whatever zoning they want.
The town is a mess because of it.