West Amwell, like every other municipality in New Jersey has been mandated by the courts to provide a realistic plan to address the need for affordable housing.
In the beginning, there was an initial need assessed at 124 units, which was eventually reduced to 16 units through the settlement of a builder’s remedy lawsuit and other actions.
This took care of the first and second round “obligations” and was extended to 2005, which was again extended to 2008 by COAH.
The third round, which encompasses 1999 through 2025, eventually settled with a required 117. This required significant legal action, negotiations, and top notch planning. The Township hired a special planner to create a “Redevelopment Zone” under which we could exercise greater control over any potential development. This plan addressed about one half of the need and allowed us to settle with the Fair Share Housing Center which helped protect us against a Builder’s Remedy lawsuit.
We are now in the fourth round, which adds another 39 units to the equation and brings the total to 156.
Take note, that unless West Amwell funded the construction, the only realistic means to actually construct these units would be for a builder to incorporate them into market rate housing.
Typically, developers build 80 percent market rate to 20 percent affordable, so to meet our “obligation” would mean the construction of an additional 624 houses for a total of 780.
Yes – the stakes are that high.
With each round, the Planning Board (now Land Use Board), the Affordable Housing sub-committee, and the Township Committee have worked with our professionals to determine the best course of action.
The process started with a vacant land analysis. We need to catalog the parcels suitable for development – not that we want it to be developed, but we simply must provide a realistic plan.
In the third round, our Engineer assembled a list of three prospective sites suitable for development and we decided that the ESC school site and the Fulper General Development Plan site were the most suitable.
In the fourth round, we updated the vacant land analysis and determined that the under-utilized Pine Creek Miniature Golf Course in the Route 31 Redevelopment Zone was the best suitable site. Critics questioned why that single parcel was selected and not the entire zone. The simple answer is that we could concentrate and limit the entire obligation to one parcel. This makes perfect sense from a planning perspective as well as a long-term strategy to maintain the rural character of West Amwell.
Critics have also voiced concern that officials might have a financial interest in that property. This is patently untrue and can be verified through the financial disclosure forms that are required to be filed with the State of New Jersey.
The ultimate goal is to meet the minimum affordable housing obligation and keeping us out of court.
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