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Glen Ridge council adopts affordable-housing overlay after heated public hearing over notice and neighborhood impacts
Summary
After more than two hours of public comment, the Glen Ridge mayor and council adopted three ordinances and related resolutions to implement the borough's Round 4 affordable-housing plan. Residents pressed officials on notice, traffic, school capacity and preservation of neighborhood character.
Glen Ridge's mayor and council voted on Feb. 23 to adopt an affordable-housing overlay, a Uniform Housing Affordability Controls ordinance and a new affordable-development fee schedule, concluding a public hearing that drew dozens of residents who urged better notice and protections for neighborhood character.
The council opened the meeting with routine business, then turned to the final public hearing on Ordinance 18-31, the borough's Affordable Housing Overlay Zone. Councilor Moody framed the discussion by saying the borough must act to comply with state Round 4 requirements and to avoid exposure to builder's-remedy lawsuits that can dramatically increase development density if a municipality misses statutory deadlines.
At the podium, residents repeatedly said they support affordable housing in principle but criticized the timing and outreach for the overlay. "I received a certified letter on Feb. 20 for a Feb. 23 vote — that's zero days'notice," Maria Mercione Novoa said, identifying herself as a homeowner on Bloomfield Avenue. Several speakers from Glenridge Avenue and nearby…
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