New Jersey
NJ affordable housing deadline: Here’s what your town owes, and you might be eligible

Four-minute read
Drone View: Asbury Park’s new Boston Way development
Take a drone flight over Asbury Park’s new Boston Way development.
Thomas P. Costello and Danielle Parhizkaran, Asbury Park Press
With legal challenges to New Jersey’s affordable housing law denied, Monmouth and Ocean County towns reached a deadline Friday to opt into a program that spells out their affordable housing obligations for the next decade.
As the clock ticked on Thursday, about two-thirds of towns at the Shore had agreed to participate, even as some planned to challenge the number of affordable units determined by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
“It’s good to see that the vast majority of New Jersey municipalities, many of whom supported the law’s passage, are moving forward,” said Jag Davies, a spokesman for the Fair Share Housing Center, an advocacy group.
Friday’s deadline is part of the fourth round of the Mount Laurel doctrine that was set into motion last March, when Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law spelling out towns’ affordable housing obligations for the next decade.
See a full list of what the state says each town must allow to be built at the bottom of this story.
Towns aren’t required to participate, but those that don’t adopt a plan risk being sued by builders and advocates, leaving them vulnerable to a court order mandating them to clear the way for higher-density projects.
The new rules are landing as policymakers at the Shore try to navigate competing interests: residents are pushing back against overdevelopment, all while seeing the price of housing soar.
A home is considered unaffordable if its payment takes up more than 30% of a household’s income. As of last August, a Monmouth County household with a median income would pay 53.9% for a median-priced home, while an Ocean County household would spend 58%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
“The third round was kind of chaotic,” said Craig Gianetti, an attorney with Day Pitney in Parsippany, who co-leads the firms’ real estate, environmental and land use practice. “From 2018 to today, towns had to do a lot (to catch up with affordable housing obligations), and I think they are still kind of, for lack of a better term, licking their wounds politically.”
“The thought of having to go through this process again, where they feel like they just completed the third round, is probably daunting for them,” he said.
The new law sets out to streamline what has been an uneven rollout of the Mount Laurel doctrine, the state’s constitutional mandate that requires towns to provide their fair share of affordable housing.
Under state law, municipalities are required to set aside 20% of housing units for those with moderate and low incomes — up to $72,830 for an individual and $130,054 for a family of four in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The state recalculates municipal obligations every 10 years, looking at factors such as job growth, existing affordability and the growth of low- and moderate-income households. The new formula is set to last until 2035.
Some two dozen New Jersey towns, including Holmdel and Wall, filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the rollout, but state Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy ruled against them, leaving municipalities with a Jan. 31 deadline: Accept the state’s obligation, come up with their own and hope the state will approve it, or take their chances and risk being sued by builders or advocates.
Most Monmouth and Ocean County towns have approved resolutions and agreed to participate in the program, although some are planning to challenge the state’s formula.
Toms River, for example, required by the state to provide 670 affordable units, adopted a resolution saying it owes at most 114 new units, and possibly none at all.
Jackson, meanwhile, is faced with an obligation of 954 units in the next round. The council planned to vote Thursday on a resolution that would support 750 units.
“We’re trying to do everything the right way, we just feel now it’s becoming a little unfair,” Jackson Mayor Michael Reina said.
The state could sign off on towns’ alternate calculations. Or it could contest them by taking it to the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program, a seven-member panel appointed by the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, which would decide.
Opponents have until Feb. 28 to contest the municipalities’ calculations. And towns have until June 30 to adopt an affordable housing plan.
Davies from the Fair Share Housing Center said as of Thursday morning, 354 of the state’s 564 municipalities had adopted resolutions agreeing to participate in the affordable housing program, and 75% accepted the obligations calculated by the state.
“New Jersey municipalities, many of whom supported the law’s passage, are moving forward,” Davies said.
Michael L. Diamond is a business writer for the Asbury Park Press. He has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry since 1999. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

New Jersey
You could be entitled to up to $400K if you were a client of these NJ attorneys

Clients of several New Jersey attorneys, including a Bergen County lawyer, could be eligible for up to a $400,000 payout as part of a state program.
Russell F. Anderson Jr. of Ho-Ho-Kus was one of four names released by New Jersey Courts for the fourth-quarter deadline for the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection claims. Also included are David L. Rosenthal out of Monmouth County, Paul J. Sica out of Middlesex County and Curtis Romanowski out of Texas.
According to the notice from the courts, the fund is to pay clients on behalf of “the honest majority of lawyers for the wrongdoing of a few.” Clients could receive up to $400,000 and the fund can provide up to $1.5 million in claims against a lawyer.
For eligibility, a claim must have been filed against a bar member or acting as an attorney or fiduciary during the incident. If not dead, the attorney has to have been disbarred, suspended, placed on disability inactive status or convicted of embezzlement or other misappropriation of property, the notice stated.
“The attorney’s conduct giving rise to the claim must have been dishonest rather than negligent,” it said.
The deadlines to file claims are:
- Anderson: Oct. 16
- Romanowski: Oct. 8
- Rosenthal: Jan. 17, 2026
- Sica: Nov. 26
The notice said the state Supreme Court’s decision to suspend or disbar someone triggers the fund’s “jurisdiction to receive claims against that attorney.” Those filing claims against the attorneys have a year after discipline is issued to file the claim, but the notice warned the discipline doesn’t “guarantee compensability.” However, the claim does not have to be part of the lawyer’s ethics determination to receive payment.
Claim forms can be found online, by calling 855-533-3863 or by writing to New Jersey’s Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection at Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 961, Trenton, NJ 08625.
New Jersey
2 More Measles Cases Reported In New Jersey, State Says

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — After a person with measles landed in a Bergen County emergency room two weeks ago, two more people with the highly contagious virus have been reported, according to the state of New Jersey — both of whom were unvaccinated and were in contact with the first person.
The state is asking anyone who was in contact with the three infected patients to contact a health provider to get checked out. Someone in contact with the first person could develop symptoms as late as March 6, the state said. READ MORE: Bergen County Resident Brought Measles Into Hospital Emergency Room
The virus spreads easily. This week, it was reported that an unvaccinated child with measles in Texas had died. The last time a child died of measles in the U.S. was 22 years ago, in 2003, health authorities said. An adult woman died of the virus in 2015.
State Cases
In New Jersey, the state said, “As of Feb. 20, two secondary cases of measles have been identified. The new cases had close contact with the index case. The individuals had been under quarantine, minimizing any additional potential exposures. All three cases associated with this situation are unvaccinated. As of today, there are a total of three measles cases in NJ in 2025. A total of seven measles cases were reported in NJ in 2024.”
The state’s Department of Health is working in collaboration with local health officials to identify and notify people who might have been exposed during the time the individuals were infectious, they said. The state urged residents to ensure they are current on all routine vaccinations, especially MMR vaccinations, which have been in use for more than 50 years.
Anyone who was in the Englewood Hospital Emergency Department on Feb. 9, between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., should contact a health provider, they said.
National Numbers
A measles vaccine was licensed for public use starting in 1963. The Americas were declared free of endemic measles by 2016, but suffered a setback two years later due to gaps in vaccines in other countries that led to outbreaks there, scientists say.
The Centers for Disease control are now updating measles cases each Friday. As of Thursday, 93 measles cases were reported by eight states: Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas.
There have been three outbreaks (defined as three or more related cases) reported in 2025 so far, the CDC said.
In America, most children are vaccinated at a young age. Because the disease is so contagious, it requires at least 95 percent of a local population to be vaccinated in order to prevent its spread, health officials say.
The virus can cause respiratory and neurological problems, pneumonia, vomiting, and other symptoms.
Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin, the state of New Jersey said.
The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet. Measles can also cause serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage in pregnant people, premature birth, or a low-birth-weight baby.
The state said, “Those who may have been exposed or who suspect illness should call their health care provider first before arriving at any facility so that necessary infection prevention precautions can be taken to protect other patients and staff. NJDOH is working in collaboration with local health officials on ongoing contact tracing and on efforts to notify people who might have been exposed and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred.”
They noted, “The virus spreads easily through the air when someone coughs or sneezes and can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.
“Individuals at risk include those who have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past,” they noted.
An outbreak is defined as three or more related cases by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
New Jersey
Baraka names three powerful women, including Regena Thomas, as campaign co-chair – New Jersey Globe

Former Secretary of the State Regena Thomas will serve as co-chair of Ras Baraka’s campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, putting a veteran political operative with a strong track record of turning out Black voters at the helm of the Newark mayor’s statewide bid.
He also named former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) New Jersey State Council Executive Director Lizette Delgado-Polanco and former New Jersey Citizens Action Executive Director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye as co-chairs alongside Thomas.
Collectively, the three women are positioned to use their grassroots organizational experience in voter mobilization, labor advocacy, and progressive leadership to propel Baraka’s candidacy.
“Ras Baraka is not just another politician – he is a transformational leader with an unparalleled record of results,” Thomas said. “This campaign is about breaking the cycle of politics that have failed New Jersey for too long. Ras Baraka is the only candidate offering something truly different – something bold, something just, something that actually works for the working people.”
-
News1 week ago
Dominican officials cram thousands of inmates facing no charges into overcrowded prisons
-
Culture1 week ago
Are NFL players as college coaches here to stay? Why DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick can work
-
News1 week ago
Kamala Harris Has Scrambled the California Governor’s Race Without Entering It
-
Lifestyle1 week ago
‘Modern Love’ Podcast: Why Gossiping Could Help Your Love Life
-
Technology1 week ago
Reddit vs. Wall Street: the latest in the GameStop saga
-
World1 week ago
Belgium reinforces police forces in Antwerp to fight drug violence
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Review | The Way We Talk: Chung Suet-ying shines as a deaf woman finding herself
-
Health1 week ago
Pope Francis Has Bilateral Pneumonia