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Hackensack council adopts ordinance updating affordable-housing rules, approves implementation package
Summary
The Hackensack City Council adopted Ordinance 04-20-26 to align the citys affordable-housing code with recent state regulatory changes and approved related resolutions on affirmative marketing, assistance and spending at its March 3 meeting; the measures passed unanimously.
Hackensack City Council on Tuesday adopted Ordinance 04-20-26, an update to Chapter 45A that the city said is necessary to comply with recent amendments to the Fair Housing Act and new uniform affordability controls in the state administrative code.
The ordinance, which the council moved to final adoption as Resolution 75-26, passed by unanimous roll call following a brief public hearing that drew no speakers on the ordinance itself. Council members also approved a consent-agenda package that included related affordable-housing actions: Resolution 80-26 adopting an affirmative marketing plan, Resolution 81-26 adopting an affordability assistance program manual, Resolution 82-26 adopting an affordable housing rehabilitation manual, and Resolution 83-26 adopting the fourth-round affordable housing spending plan.
Wendy, Hackensacks affordable-housing attorney, told the council these updates are largely technical but required to keep the citys implementation documents aligned with state changes. "These manuals have to get readopted and updated and submitted to the court on or before March 15," she said, describing the affirmative-marketing rules and the reserve set-aside for affordability assistance.
The attorney outlined how affirmative marketing will require outreach to regional institutions and specified publication and notification channels; she also noted that an affordability assistance allocation in the trust fund is intended to help households with one-time needs such as rental arrears or moving costs.
At the meeting the city manager reported staff will use the trust fund to prioritize building affordable units and to ensure developers projects meet the spirit of the law rather than relying solely on fee payments to the fund. Mayor Gaines said the prior administration had not used the trust fund to build units and that the current council intends to put the money to use. "We are prioritizing putting that trust fund to good use to actually build affordable housing," the mayor said.
Action details: the council opened and closed a public hearing on Ordinance 04-20-26 and adopted it as Resolution 75-26. The consent agenda containing Resolutions 76-26 through 83-26 was adopted in a single voice vote; the package includes the affirmative-marketing plan and three implementation manuals tied to the ordinance changes.
What happens next: the attorney said updated manuals and the spending plan must be submitted to the court and that staff will proceed with implementing the affirmative-marketing steps laid out in the adopted plan. The council and manager said they will prioritize turning trust-fund revenues into actual affordable units rather than leaving funds idle.
Vote: Final adoption of Ordinance 04-20-26 (Resolution 75-26) passed by roll-call vote with Deputy Mayor Toomey, Councilwoman Clark Collins, Councilman Diaz and Mayor Gaines all recorded as voting yes. The consent agenda (Res. 76-26 through 83-26) also passed.
