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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