Ventnor City adopts housing element, housing trust fund and consultant contract to meet state affordable-housing obligations

Ventnor City officials at a special meeting June 30 adopted three resolutions to submit a housing element and fair-share plan to the state, establish a municipal housing trust fund and hire a planning consultant to help the city comply with New Jersey's fourth-round affordable-housing requirements.

The actions — adopting resolution 2025-218 to petition the state with the housing element and fair-share plan, adopting resolution 2025-219 to request state review and approval of a municipal housing trust fund and spending plan, and adopting resolution 2025-217 to award a professional-services contract to planner Tiffany A. Coullio — were all approved by roll call. Commissioners Langraph and Mento and the mayor voted yes on each item.

The housing element covers Ventnor's obligations for the period 1987 through 2035 and uses a credit-based accounting approach. "This plan provides for your obligation from 1987 through 2035," planner Tiffany A. Coullio told the council during a brief presentation. She said a vacant-land analysis found realistic development potential for only three units, leaving a larger unmet need that the plan addresses by crediting existing facilities (including Shalom Towers and group homes) and by proposing a citywide overlay ordinance to produce additional credits.

Under the proposed overlay, any future multifamily development of 10 or more units would trigger an affordable set-aside (explained in the presentation as a roughly 20% set-aside in the 10-unit example, i.e., two affordable units in a 10-unit project). Coullio said accounting for existing facilities gives the city about 49.5 credits toward a cumulative 60-credit obligation, leaving an unmet need of roughly 10.5 credits the overlay and other mechanisms are intended to satisfy.

The plan also relies on state-mandated development fees collected from non-residential projects. Those fees can be placed in a municipal housing trust fund and used for program options such as converting market units to affordable units over time, funding rehab of existing units, providing down-payment or mortgage assistance, or covering administrative costs — steps the city's advisers said would reduce reliance on general-tax dollars.

A resident, Maria, asked, "What if we do nothing and what are other towns doing?" Council members and staff answered that doing nothing leaves the city vulnerable to a builder's-remedy lawsuit in which a developer can seek relief that could reduce local zoning control. Lance (staff) explained that previous litigation and the 2018 Jacobson decision changed how obligations were calculated, producing a smaller, more workable obligation for Ventnor than older third-round estimates.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 2025-217 (professional-services contract to Tiffany A. Coullio): Adopted; roll call: Commissioner Langraph —Yes—, Commissioner Mento —Yes—, Mayor Kel —Yes—. Motion/second recorded; mover not specified in the transcript. - Resolution 2025-218 (adopt housing element and fair-share plan; petition state): Adopted; roll call: Commissioner Langraph —Yes—, Commissioner Mento —Yes—, Mayor Kel —Yes—. - Resolution 2025-219 (request state review/approval of municipal housing trust fund and spending plan): Adopted; roll call: Commissioner Langraph —Yes—, Commissioner Mento —Yes—, Mayor Kel —Yes—.

Why it matters Council members and planners said adopting the package now helps protect Ventnor City from developer litigation that could force larger, less-tailored development outcomes and could remove some local zoning discretion. The trust fund and fee structure provide a pathway to meeting affordable-housing obligations over time without using general-tax revenue, supporters said.

What happens next Staff confirmed signed resolutions will be filed with the state. Council members thanked staff and the planner for work on tight timelines needed to meet state deadlines. The meeting adjourned after a unanimous roll-call vote.

(Reporting based solely on the meeting transcript; motions were recorded and voted on as described above; mover/second names were not always specified in the record.)