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Allendale says it met fourth‑round housing obligations after Avalon Bay sewer deal and deed‑restriction extensions
Summary
Municipal staff told the planning board Allendale satisfied its fourth‑round fair‑share obligation largely by extending deed restrictions on existing affordable units and by negotiating sewer access and a $500,000 mitigation payment from Avalon Bay; the municipality said it does not need to build new units this round but will continue to track unmet need.
A municipal staff update to the Allendale Planning Board described how the borough addressed its fourth‑round affordable‑housing obligations.
A staff member told the board the borough assembled legal and technical teams, extended deed restrictions on existing affordable units that were at risk of expiring and negotiated a deal that allowed developer Avalon Bay to use borough sewer capacity in exchange for density adjustments in the downtown overlay and a $500,000 payment to the borough. "We actually don't have to build anything in this fourth round," the staff member said, explaining that deed‑restriction extensions and negotiated development agreements combined to satisfy the municipality’s current compliance obligations.
Why it matters: local governments must demonstrate a realistic plan for meeting state‑mandated affordable‑housing obligations. According to the staff presentation, Allendale’s realistic development potential for this round remains low (four units cited) but the statutory obligation figure the borough used was roughly 200; the borough cited a mix of deed‑restriction extensions and negotiated development capacity to demonstrate compliance without immediate municipal construction of new units.
The staff update also described intermunicipal issues: Saddle River’s planned development concentrates unmet need on a corridor that relies on Allendale’s sewer capacity, and the sewer access agreement requires protective work on the shared pipeline (a liner to address inflow and infiltration). The staff member said Saddle River has sought some share of the $500,000 mitigation funds, a point the borough said it will resolve separately.
Next steps: borough staff will circulate a memo for residents explaining the strategy, proceed with any grant applications for identified open‑space property acquisitions (the borough is seeking roughly 85% of acquisition funding for one flood‑prone parcel) and record any necessary deed restrictions or intermunicipal agreements in support of the fair‑share demonstration.
