Did State Officials Suppress Negative COAH Report?

[Cranbury Conservative]

The Save Jersey Blog published a new entry entitled "Did State Officials Suppress Negative COAH Report?" on 2/8/2009 2:49:35 PM, written by Matt Rooney.
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Did State Officials Suppress Negative COAH Report?

By Matt Rooney | February 8, 2009

Gannett's Michal Symons penned a very interesting investigative piece in today's Asbury Park Press. Did state officials intentionally hide a consultant report revealing flaws in the COAH methodology?


Whether COAH's implementation is "flawed" matters little for those of us who think the whole program should be gutted or dismantled. Nevertheless, I do want to know if state officials actually ignored and/or hid negative COAH evidence:

The Asbury Park Press


A July 2008 report, in which Rutgers University researchers examined Somerset County land-use information and compared the results to earlier conclusions based off 2002 statewide photos, suggested the initial results overestimated the supply of vacant, developable land in that county by 15 percent and overestimated its residential build-out capacity by 17 percent.

Stuart Koenig, an attorney representing 20 municipalities in court appealing the COAH obligations, said the state had the report in hand three months before it approved amended rules for the affordable-housing program and could have changed course.

"Because the vacant land was used to project growth and was used to determine statewide affordable housing need, the vacant-land analysis is critical to the equation," Koenig said. He later added: "They just went ahead and adopted their numbers, knowing they were wrong."

The New Jersey State League of Municipalities, which is also fighting the COAH rules, requested copies of such reports or analyses last October under the Open Public Records Act but wasn't given a copy of that report. It intends to cite the study in its appeal.

"As long ago as July, apparently, the agency had data that indicated that the underpinnings of their entire methodology were unsound," said Michael Cerra, a senior legislative analyst for the League of Municipalities. "Hundreds of plans were prepared using their methodology; that means the plans have errors in them? July allowed an opportunity to correct at least some of the error."



Permalink: blog.savejersey.com/2009/02/08/did-state-officials-suppress-negative-coah-report.aspx

[Jersey Dad]

As a way to draw attention to the serious "flaws" described in the analysis, would anyone else be interested in camping out on one of the more ridiculous places identified as "vacant developable land" in the COAH study. I think we could get some media coverage if we set up a one-day tent city on the median strip of the parkway.

[Guest]

The depth of arrogance being displayed is appalling. COAH is a joke - their data and methods are non-substantiable. Even when they are debunked, they will not concede. Admit a mistake and actually consider the public interest over special interests.

Legislators often do not have the technical expertise to evaluate issues outside of their own areas of knowledge and have to rely on studies, etc. The judiciary is supposed to uphold laws that reflect social norms, values, and rights of those living in this country. The executive branch...well, I'll pass that one for now.

Point is, how is it that such idiocy can persist without check or balance even in the face of data which are proved to be erroneous and the tremendous public opposition? A rhetorical question, of course - I answered it already, special interests with a one-dimensional agenda.

It will be interesting how many legislators shift on this issue as the inconvenient necessity of pretending to listen to constituent concerns arises in this election year. Who knows, maybe we can get our esteemed Assemblyman to take his union rat to COAH for a publicity shot....


This level of arrogance seems more and more common in Trenton. One regulatory agency's lawyer when confronted with a pervasive concern over equity diminution resulting from the Highlands Act purportedly responded, 'so sue us if you think you lost property value'.

Our public sector at work for us....