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Belmar council accepts DCA fourth‑round numbers, authorizes quick declaratory-judgment filing
Summary
Belmar’s borough council voted to accept the Department of Community Affairs’ fourth‑round fair‑share estimates (0 present need, 43 prospective units) and authorized filing a declaratory‑judgment action within 48 hours to meet amended Fair Housing Act scheduling requirements.
The chair of the council (S2) read a state‑required disclosure and introduced a resolution accepting the Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) nonbinding estimates under the amended Fair Housing Act and authorizing next steps to comply with scheduling rules.
The chair said the DCA report, issued Oct. 18, 2024, assigned Belmar a present rehabilitation need of 0 units and a prospective obligation of 43 units for the fourth round. The resolution authorizes the borough to accept those DCA calculations for scheduling purposes and directs staff and the borough’s professionals to proceed on the housing element and fair‑share plan work. It also authorizes the borough to file a declaratory‑judgment action “within 48 hours of the adoption of this resolution.”
At roll call the council adopted the resolution by unanimous affirmative responses from the members present. The clerk called for each member’s vote on the record; all named members answered in the affirmative.
Nut graf: By accepting the DCA numbers now, Belmar meets the amended Fair Housing Act’s scheduling requirement and secures the immediate procedural step of filing for judicial review if necessary. Council staff said the acceptance is a scheduling compliance action and that substantive work on the borough’s housing element and fair‑share plan will continue with municipal consultants.
Council members did not debate the numeric obligation at length during the meeting; the chair said the borough’s professionals have reviewed and determined the DCA numbers to be acceptable. The chair described the action as a procedural step required by statute and regulation and noted that further plan work will follow.
The resolution and the 48‑hour filing authorization set a near‑term procedural deadline; the council directed staff to follow up with legal counsel and the borough planner on next steps and timing for the housing element and fair‑share plan process. No additional amendments or contingency conditions were recorded in the meeting minutes.
The council then moved on to other agenda items; the resolution acceptance was the council’s primary action on housing during the session.
