NJ Supreme Court hears Affordable Housing Case

[Dan Mulligan]

Heated affordable housing battle plays out in front of N.J. Supreme Court

TRENTON — Advocates for lower-income residents clashed with lawyers for mayors and the Christie administration for nearly seven hours Wednesday as the state Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could transform the future of affordable housing in New Jersey.

Reviving a legal battle that dates back to 1975, Christie administration officials and a group of mayors Wednesday said it’s time to rewrite rules adopted following the court’s landmark "Mount Laurel" rulings, which say towns have a duty to provide lower income residents with homes they can afford.

The Christie administration wants to change the rules by requiring one or two affordable units be provided for every five homes developers build from normal consumer demand.

"Municipalities recognize their obligation, but it’s a different landscape than it was in 1975," said Edward Buzak, attorney for the state League of Municipalities, a lobbying group for the state’s local governments. "Affordable housing needs to be built as municipalities develop. That’s the core theory of Mount Laurel. That’s the core constitutional obligation...

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