New Jersey

Warren County mayors respond to N.J. affordable housing guide for 2025

Published

1 year ago

October 28, 2024

Warren County mayors respond to N.J. affordable housing guide for 2025

Municipalities in New Jersey now know exactly how many new affordable housing units they are expected to authorize over the next decade, according to a recent report.

Roughly 2,800 units are required to be built or rehabilitated by 2035 in Warren County. (See the numbers for each Warren County town below.)

The data provided by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs shows the responsibility for affordable housing units in every municipality in the county will increase in 2025. Greenwich Township tops the list with the largest responsibility (360 units).

Two affordable housing projects are in the pipeline. Greenwich Dumont Urban Renewal Associates LLC has promised 66 affordable units along Dumont Road in a project called The Willows at Greenwich, part of Ingerman Family Communities; and a project called Furhman could bring 64 units to the township, a clerk said..

White Township (322 units) and Allamuchy Township (281) have second and third highest responsibilities. The most densely populated town in Warren County, Phillipsburg, has a responsibility to provide 75 affordable units, according to the report. The town currently has the largest share of affordable housing units in the county.

Mayor Randy Piazza said he has no doubt the town will meet its responsibilities.

The calculations include two types of affordable housing obligations — “present need” and “prospective need.” Prospective need refers to creating new affordable housing, while present need means renovating existing affordable housing that has been deemed “substandard.” The numbers below are shown to represent present to prospective need.

The state also looked at the median income in each town and assessed the open space, existing homes and other factors to calculate municipalities’ responsibility.

The numbers below do not mean municipalities need to build affordable housing themselves but, municipalities must zone for builders to propose construction of the housing.

Warren County

Allamuchy Township, from zero to 281

Alpha Borough, from four to 58

Belvidere, from 20 to 131

Blairstown Township, from zero to 65

Franklin Township, from 32 to 95

Frelinghuysen Township, from zero to 156

Greenwich Township, from zero to 360

Hackettstown, from 87 to 105

Hardwick Township, from zero to 29

Harmony Township, from four to 71

Hope Township, from zero to 31

Independence Township, from six to 65

Knowlton Township, from four to 32

Liberty Township, from 25 to 35

Lopatcong Township, from zero to 87

Mansfield Township, from seven to 418

Oxford Township, from zero to 54

Phillipsburg, from 21 to 75

Pohatcong Township, from zero to 65

Washington Borough, from zero to 27

Washington Township, from 31 to 181

White Township, from 100 to 322

The guidelines follow a new law (S50) signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in March, which standardizes obligations for municipalities throughout the state to build more housing units. It also gives towns more protection from lawsuits that aim to stop affordable housing from being built.

The requirements are part of the state’s fourth round of affordable housing obligations under the Mount Laurel Doctrine, which refers to a series of landmark state Supreme Court decisions that outlawed exclusionary zoning practices and required all towns in New Jersey to provide their fair share of the region’s affordable housing.

The state Department of Community Affairs released non-binding calculations Friday on the number of affordable homes in the state’s 564 municipalities.

The obligations are recalculated every 10 years in cycles known as rounds. Each municipality’s obligations are calculated by looking at various factors, including job growth, existing affordable housing and the growth of low- and moderate-income households.

Urban municipalities’ obligations often include higher “present need” numbers because they’ve historically produced more affordable housing than suburban municipalities, the Fair Share Housing Center said.

The state Department of Community Affairs also announced it is launching NJ Housing Opportunities for Municipal Equity and Success, called NJHOMES, early next year. The initiative provides for financial resources, technical assistance and other tools to help municipalities develop affordable housing in their communities.

Municipalities are expected to have plans submitted to the state by Jan. 31.

After this, Pohatcong Township will be out of developable land and sewer allotments, said Mayor David Slack. The township now has three affordable housing projects in the pipeline. Larken Living Apartments is expected to open its affordable units before the end of the year, he said.

Frelinghuysen Township contributes fewer than a dozen affordable housing units to the county’s total, consisting mostly of long term care and group homes. Developers haven’t shown interest in developing apartments in the area, said Mayor Keith Ramos. The township is down for planning 156 more units before 2035.

“I don’t know that 283 is an achievable number, but I would need more info before making that judgment,” Ramos said. “It’s clear that no matter what the numbers the goal post is not set at zero.”

Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or glenn_epps_on X (formerly known as Twitter.com), Facebook and Threads. Brianna Kudisch contributed to this report.

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New Jersey

Division 3 NCAA Tournament: Three NJ basketball teams make the bracket

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Division 3 NCAA Tournament: Three NJ basketball teams make the bracket

Manasquan HS grad Matthew Solomon has special motivation in leading red-hot TCNJ. Montclair State, Stevens also repping the Garden State.

It was the kind of sequence that embodies everything we love about sports – and especially college basketball.

With 10 seconds left in the Saturday’s New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament final, TCNJ guard David Alexandre drove the lane, got cut off, spun around a whipped a pass into the paint as he fell backward. There to receive it was forward Matthew Solomon, a Manasquan High School grad, who finished his hard cut with a dunk that gave the Lions a two-point lead at Montclair State.

Then, on the other end, Montclair State star Jacob Morales had a long look at a game-winner with two seconds left – but Solomon closed out and blocked the shot as time expired.

Both teams are headed to the Division III NCAA Tournament, which unveiled its bracket today (so is a third New Jersey representative, Stevens Institute of Technology). It was an incredible moment on its face, so exhilarating that former Villanova coach and two-time March Madness champion Jay Wright spotlighted it on social media.

“That’s surreal,” Solomon said. “I grew up watching Nova, so to see that was really cool. He was giving Division 3 basketball some love, which is deserved.”

One of the best-kept secrets in college sports is just how high-quality D-3 hoops is, and Jersey has long been a hotbed, regularly sending squads to the Final Four. On the men’s side the Garden State’s last national champion was Rowan in 1996. That could change in the coming weeks.

But along with quality hoops, Division 3 ball features amazing stories, and the story behind Solomon’s heroics is even more incredible than jaw-dropping end to Saturday’s classic.

On his left wrist, the 6-foot-7 senior out of Spring Lake Heights wore protective tape over a wristband that read, “Paterno Strong” in honor of his cousin Billy Paterno, who died in 2024 at age 3 of leukemia. His parents, Point Pleasant residents Danielle and William, were at the NJAC title game.

“They’re an amazing family,” Solomon said. “The stuff they went through showed me what real strength looks like. Me facing adversity on the basketball court, when I look over and see them and look down on my wrist and see the Paterno Strong wristband, after what they did, I can keep playing for 40 minutes of basketball.”

Solomon finished the epic final with 22 points and 17 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting, but he was quick to credit Saddle River Day grad Alexandre (24 points, 4 assists) and ace point guard and Don Bosco Prep grad Nick Koch (14 points) for their contributions.

For some context on the achievement: Montclair State was 24-0 and ranked No. 1 in all of Division 3 when TCNJ beat the Red Hawks twice in three-game span.

“Jersey basketball, you know how it is – the best in the country,” Solomon said. “We got a taste of playing the top team in the country and that definitely prepared us for what’s next, and hopefully we prepared them, so we can both show the whole country what New Jersey basketball is about.”

There’s one more powerful aspect to Solomon’s story. His father Larry Solomon died of Covid in February 2021, and a month later his brother Andrew Solomon hit the game-winning shot with one second left in the Shore Conference A final, capping a perfect season for Manasquan High. Andrew went on to serve as a manager with Monmouth’s basketball program.

“People are trying to compare my shot to his, but Andrew’s got me topped by a million,” Matthew said.

But between his father and his cousin Billy, “I’ve got people watching me from above,” Matthew said. “All the things I do are for them.”

Keep that in mind as TCNJ (21-6 overall, 14-4 NJAC) opens the Division 3 bracket against Johns Hopkins (20-7) Friday Randolph-Macon in Ashland Virginia. The winner will face either host Randolph-Macon (25-3) or North Carolina Wesleyan (21-6) Saturday at the same site.

“We know we can run with the best of them,” Solomon said. “We’re not pleased with just being here now. Maybe the past two years, just making it was enough. This year that’s not enough. We’ve got a special group.”

In a new wrinkle this year, the D-3 quarterfinals, semifinals and final will take place in Indianapolis, sharing a stage with the Division I Final Four. It’s a fitting reward.

“Playing Division 3 basketball has changed my life,” Solomon said. “You’ve really got to love the game, but I’ve built relationships with teammates, coaches and alumni – connections that I’m going to have the rest of my life. If I were to go back to high school, I would make the same exact decision a thousand times out of a thousand.”

Montclair State (25-1, overall, 17-1 NJAC)

The Red Hawks reached No. 1 in the nation after reeling off 24 straight wins to open the campaign. They average 92.1 points per game shooting a whopping 40.4 percent from 3-point range and hitting 13.1 triples per game.

They will play host to Maine-Farmington (22-5) on Friday, and if they win will host the winner of Bates (18-8) vs. Yeshiva (20-8) in the second round on Saturday.

Leading the way is senior forward Jacob Morales, a Montvale native, Pascack Hills High School grad and former Rutgers walk-on. The NJAC Player of the Year averages 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.

Sophomore guard and Trenton native Kabrien Goss (14.7 ppg), freshman guard and Morris Catholic grad Cristian Nicholson (11.4 ppg) and sophomore forward and Lenape High School grad Myles Primas (9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) are key contributors.

Under head coach Justin Potts, the Red Hawks reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and also made the field in 2022-23.

Stevens (18-9 overall, 10-4 MAC Freedom)

The Ducks are four-time MAAC Freedom champions under head coach Bobby Hurley, who won his 300^th game at the program’s helm in February.

They will visit Christopher Newport (21-5) in Newport News, Va., on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s second round at the same site against either Mount Union (23-3) or Washington and Jefferson (22-6).

Junior guard Tommy Scholl, the MAC Freedom MVP, averages 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior forward Harmehar Chhabra, a South Brunswick High School grad, averages 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists and recorded a triple-double (12 points, 11 boards, 11 assists) against Lebanon Valley last month.

Junior guard Kyle Maddison (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.0 apg) and senior guard Matt Leming out of Haddonfield (9.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) add to an offense that shoots 47 percent from the field.

This is the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, all under Hurley. The Ducks reached the second round in 2022.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

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New Jersey

Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge

Published

15 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge

A New Jersey animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after last month’s blizzard did heavy damage to its property in Ocean County.

On social media, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge posted a video and described the fury of the storm. saying that the blizzard “caused unexpected damage… impacting habitats, fencing, structures, and critical infrastructure.”

The nonprofit animal haven says its team “worked tirelessly to keep every animal safe during the storm,” however, “the aftermath has left us facing urgent repairs and significant financial strain.”

Photo: Popcorn Park Animal Refuge

The refuge says this winter has been “especially challenging.” It says “repeated severe weather has forced extended closures to the public, further limiting vital support and creating an added burden during an already difficult recovery period,” adding “we need our community now more than ever.”

Popcorn Park was established in 1977, according to its website. It’s part of the Associated Humane Societies — which bills itself as New Jersey’s largest animal welfare organization. Popcorn Park describes itself as “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused, or elderly farm animals, birds, and wildlife (domestic and exotic).”

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New Jersey

Natural Daylight Time: What is it, and why New Jersey should adapt this practice instead

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Natural Daylight Time: What is it, and why New Jersey should adapt this practice instead

We’re now officially less than a week before we spring forward in New Jersey, and everyone has an opinion on it. The clock change, by the way, will happen on Sunday, Mar. 8, 2026. We’ll essentially skip the 2 a.m. hour and gain the extra hour of daylight in the evening.

But the reality is, we don’t gain a thing when we do this. We’re so conditioned to believe we gain sunlight, but all we’re doing is shifting the clocks. Animals don’t do this, and are unaffected by what a clock says.

ALSO READ: Snow vs. no snow: How most in NJ feel after latest blizzard

Our pets, on the other hand, are forced to change with our practice of doing this. It really is an outdated practice, but we can’t stop it just like that simply because we’ll either complain about it being too dark during winter mornings under daylight saving, or getting dark too soon during summer nights under standard time.

It should be a lot simpler. And for those of us in New Jersey, it can be. Here’s what I think we should do.

Time clocks calendar thumbs up green check approve sunrise sunset

Canva (Townsquare Illustration)

Leave the clock, adjust our day

When I worked on a golf course, all we did was adjust when we came in based on when the sun came up. During the longer days, we started at 6 a.m. And when the sunrise was later than 6 a.m., we adjusted our start time to 7 a.m.

Why can’t we just do this when it comes to work and school? Leave the clocks in standard time since that’s the one truly aligned with the Earths rotation. During the winter, make the regular workday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., then adjust it to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the summer. It’s just that simple.

In other words, we’d be following Natural Daylight Time. Just get rid of the clock change, and adjust our day based on the sunrise. Problem solved.

Final flakes: When does snow season end in NJ?

Gallery Credit: Dan Zarrow

Significant or historical events in New Jersey for March (in chronological order)

Here are some of the historical or significant events that impacted New Jersey or happened in the Garden State during March. Is there an event missing? Let us know with an email to dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.

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