Board Hears Planner's Briefing on State'Assigned 10'Year Affordable'Housing Obligation (714 Units)

Board members discussed a newly released state'assigned affordable-housing obligation for Franklin Township during the meeting.

Township planner Mark (surname not fully specified in the transcript) told the board the state'issued guidance for the "fourth round" of municipal affordable-housing obligations and assigned Franklin 714 units to plan for over the next 10 years. He described the methodology as a prescribed, multi'factor approach that allocates a regional obligation and then apportions units to towns using household-growth data, income adjustments and a review of vacant land and nonresidential conversions.

"We've been given a number of 714 affordable units in the next 10 years," the planner said, adding that staff are reviewing the state mapping and database to identify parcels the state labeled vacant (some of which the township believes may be preserved farms, detention basins or otherwise nondevelopable). He said towns may challenge or document mapping errors and that Franklin would review every parcel the state identified as vacant.

Planner Mark told the board he expects to produce a draft report in January, which he will provide to the planning board before the council adopts or rejects the state's guidance number. Board members requested a briefing and recommended the council refer the draft mapping and methodology to the planning board for review so the board can advise council before any resolution is adopted.

No formal vote was taken on the housing number during the meeting; the planner characterized the state's figure as a mandatory guidance calculated through statutory methodology but said local challenges are part of the process.

Next steps: planner to deliver a draft report in January for the planning board's review and to present to the council and land-use committee as part of the municipal response to the state's allocation.