Clark Council forms Mount Laurel subcommittee as residents press for clarity on Westfield Avenue pilot deal

The Township of Clark Council voted Feb. 28 to establish a Mount Laurel subcommittee to help the township meet state affordable-housing obligations created under recent law and court precedent.

The move comes after the state in October released Clark’s new allocation—166 units—on top of 71 units remaining from prior obligations. Mayor Angel Albanese and municipal staff told the council the township filed required information by the Jan. 31 deadline and must have a first plan in place by June 30, with annual reports due Feb. 15 in future years.

The nut of the decision was procedural: the subcommittee will provide a forum for planners, township attorneys and staff to assemble options, review overlay zones, and keep residents informed while the formal proposals go through the planning board and back to the council. Business administrator Jim Ulrich said the subcommittee is intended to “keep people apprised of the process” and to move an abbreviated schedule because the June 30 deadline is “a very tight time frame.”

Why it matters: Clark faces a combined requirement from previous allocations and the new state calculation that the administration described as substantial. The subcommittee is meant to centralize public input and technical…