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Fanwood planning board signs Fair Share mediation agreement, raises rental set‑aside to 20%
Summary
Council heard from a planning-board representative that the borough reached a Fair Share mediation agreement in its fourth-round affordable housing matter; the agreement raises the rental set‑aside from 15% to 20% and requires updates to the housing element, spending plan, and ordinance ahead of a March 15, 2026 court deadline.
Diane, a member of the Fanwood Planning Board, told the Mayor and Council that the borough has reached a Fair Share mediation agreement after a challenge to its fourth-round affordable housing submission.
"We agreed with them and that we would do the required number of units," Diane said, and she told the council the agreement increases the rental set‑aside from 15% to 20%. She explained the agreement follows a common template used in similar mediations and includes deadlines and midpoint reports required by the court.
Nut graf: The mediation agreement obligates Fanwood to update its housing element, revise the spending plan and amend ordinances to reflect the higher rental set‑aside; Diane said the borough should have required materials in place by the court's target date of March 15, 2026, and that additional planning-board hearings on related ordinances are expected.
Diane noted the agreement also addresses how Cottage Way units may be handled or extended; she said the timing and costs for those units are uncertain and likely several years out, and that the spending plan might incorporate those future allocations. She asked council members to sign the mediation agreement and to scan it back to planning staff, and staff confirmed the signing and logistics on the record.
The council did not conduct extended debate on the mediation agreement in public session; Diane listed next procedural steps to comply with the court schedule.
