| 11th District Lawmakers Discuss COAH Updates at Wall Town Meeting |
| Governor Issues Executive Order to Freeze COAH |
Senator Sean Kean and Assembly members Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini held a town meeting last night in Wall Township to discuss updates regarding the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) rules. Many residents were in attendance to learn how the rules will mean for their town.
Governor Chris Christie issued an executive order to halt COAH and created an advisory panel to provide recommendations for this policy within 90 days. During the 90 day period, the Council on Affordable Housing cannot take any action to process applications for substantive certification or to take any other actions to implement the COAH third round regulations.
“The COAH regulations included flawed numbers that placed unrealistic demands on municipalities that could drastically alter communities,” said Kean. “I applaud Governor Christie for scrapping this policy to allow for much needed changes.”
The COAH rules would have required Wall Township to build nearly 700 affordable housing that could have resulted in as much as $20 million in higher property taxes.
“The affordable housing obligations are unrealistic for municipalities and I am hopeful that the task force will scrap these current unreasonable regulations,” said Rible. “This would protect Wall from having to construct hundreds of units of affordable housing and burden taxpayers.”
Legislation, which is sponsored by Assemblyman Rible would eliminate COAH and transfer the power of establishing affordable housing numbers to the municipalities.
“The task force as well as the bills that have been introduced will help reverse COAH and come up with an affordable housing policy that promotes smart-growth to ensure that development does not clash with preservation efforts,” said Angelini. “The main goal of these initiatives is to restore power to the municipalities in a way that fairly incorporates affordable housing units while protecting taxpayers.”
The 11th District legislators have introduced several measures pertaining COAH including a bill that urges the Council on Local Mandates to determine certain third round methodology rules invalid as unfunded mandates as well as legislation that would abolish COAH for failure to comply with legislative directives.
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